Phylum Protozoa

➢ Protozoa included the unicellular consumers. It was a phylum under Animal kingdom
as per two kingdom classification. Protozoans are placed in the Kingdom Protista as
per five kingdom classification. Protozoa means first animals.
➢ Anton van Leeuwenhoek was the first to observe a protozoan (Vorticella convallaria)
under microscope. He called them are animalcules. The term Protozoa ( protos- first,
zoo- animal) was coined by Goldfuss.
➢ Hyman called the protozoa as acellular animals.
 General Characters of Protozoa

1. Protozoans are unicellular animals. They are often called acellular animals, because
a single cell performs all life activities.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
• They may be solitary (e.g, Cladospongia).They may be free living or symbiotic.
• Body symmetry is spherical (e.g, Actinophyrs), radial (e.g, sessile forms), bilateral (e.g,
Giardia) or asymmetrical (e.g, Amoeba).
• Body is nacked or bounded by pellicle. Some forms are provided with shells.
• Locomotary organelles are pseudopodia, flagellae or cilia. In some myonemes help in
locomotion.
• Nutrition is holozoic, holophytic or osmotrophic ( saprophytic or parasitic). Digestion is
intracellular.
• Exchange of respiratory gases takes place through general body surface by diffusion. In
parasitic forms, respiration is anaerobic.
• Excretion occurs through general body surface by diffusion or by contractile vacuoles.
Contractile vacuoles are mainly osmoregulatory organelles and are common in fresh
water forms.
• Protozoans reproduce asexually and sexually. Binary fission, multiple fission , plasmotomy,
budding etc. are asexual methods of reproduction. Syngamy, conjugation etc. are sexual
methods of reproduction.
• Note – Plasmotomy is a type of asexual reproduction where a multinucleate protozoan cell
divides into two or more multinucleate daughter cells .
• Most of the protozoans undergo encystment to overcome unfavourable conditions.
• Encystment allows protozoa to survive harsh environmental conditions , such as lack of
nutrients or desiccation.
• Formation of a cyst wall: A protective , often carbohydrate – rich , wall is secreted around
the cell.
• Metabolic slowdown: The protozoan’s metabolic activity decreases significantly, allowing
it to conserve energy.
• Protozoans are said to be immortal (exempt from natural death) because somatoplasm
and germ plasm are not different e.g, Amoeba, plasmodium, paramecium .
 Locomotion in Protozoa

• Definition: Movement of organisms from one place to another, known as locomotion.

• Purpose of locomotion: -
• Search for food
• Seek shelter
• Find mates
• Escape from predators
Influencing Factors

External Factors Internal Factors

• Locomotory Organelles in Protozoans:-
• Flagellae ( Used for swimming, e.g, Euglena)
• Cilia: ( Assist in swimming e.g, Paramecium)
• Pseudopodia:
• Enable amoeboid movement ( e.g, Amoeba)
• Myonemes:
• Facilitate gliding movement (e.g, in Euglena and sporozoans)
 Swimming Locomotion in Protozoa

• Definition: Locomotion in protozoans using flagella and cilia is known as swimming .

• Hyman termed these structures undulopodia because they cause progression by beating.
• Useful in Locomotion in water or body fluids ( in parasitic forms).

• A. Flagellar Movement
• Definition : Locomotion caused by the flagellum is called flagellar movement, showing
undulation , sidewise lashing and spiral gyration.

A flexible, whiplike intracellular extension of many eukaryo

• Undulopodium- tic cells, with a characteristic arrangement of nine paired p
eripheral microtubules and one central pair; it appears to g
row out from a basal body (kinetosome) in the cell. Both th
e cilium and the eukaryotic flagellum (not the bacterial flag
ellum, which lacks the 9 + 2 pattern) are considered unduli
podia.
• Undulation from base to tip causes a pushing force, while tip-to-base undulation creates a
pulling force.
• Sidewise wave- like movement leads to latreral motion.
• Spiral undulations cause rotational movement (gyration).
• Sidewise Lashing movements:
• Movement consists of two strokes: Effective stroke and Recovery stroke.
• Effective Stroke: Flagellum becomes rigid, bends and beats against water , moving the
organism forward.
• Recovery Stroke : Flagellum becomes soft , returns to its original position, offering little
resistance to water.
• Simple Conical Gyration Movement:
• Flagellum rotates like a screw, pulling the organism forward in a spiral motion.
 Euglena viridis
• Protozoans having Flagella Superclass Mastigophora & Flagellata

Mastigophora

Phytoflagellata Zooflagellata

Autotrophs Heterotrophs

Photosynthesis Depends on other organism for food

Euglena viridis (Gr.,eu, true+ glene, eyeball or eye pupil+L., Viridis, green) is
a unicellular green organism with an eye-like photoreceptive structure
Shape– Upper – Rounded, blunt
Mid – Wider
Lower- Tappered ( sharp and pointed)
Pellicle – Protein
Reservoir- pellicle is absent in reservoir (PM present
only)
Blepheroblast- flagella originate from blepheroblast
Euglena

connecting link

Plant + Animal

Both type of nutrition phototrophic and

heterotrophic
Ectoplasm – Mucus secreting cells present
Endoplasm- it contains cell organelles
Food store in paramylon granules
• Flagellar Movement – Obligatory arranged in opposite direction
• 12 beats/sec
Mitochondria present in inner blepheroblast which supply ATP
Contraction of axoneme require ATP for locomotion.

Euglenoid Movement: - Peristaltic movement

Contraction and relaxation of body

Pellicle play important role in Euglenoid movement

 Ciliary Movement
• Definition : Locomotion by cilia is called ciliary movement, observed in
ciliates like Paramecium .
• Cilia performs pendular (back and forth) movements with effective and
recovery strokes.
• Effective Stroke:
• Cilium bends and beats against the water , pushing the body forward.
• Recovery Stroke:
• Cilium returns to its original position without resistance.
• Cilia arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows; beat in a spiral manner.

• Two types of rhythms:

• Synchronnous Rhythm: Cilia in transverse rows beat simultaneously.
• Metachronous Rhythm : Cilia in longitudinal row s beat one after another ,
creating a metachronal wave.
• When encountering an obstacle, cilia reverse beat, causing backward movement.
• Movement is coordinated by the infraciliary system and motorium (neuromotor system),
making it the fastest locomotion in protozoans.
Gliding:
• Protozoans have contractile filaments called myonemes located below the pellicle in the
ectoplasm.
• The contraction and relaxation of myonemes cause a small zig-zag movement, known as
gliding movement.
• This movement is seen in flagellates, sporozoans, cnidosporans, and some ciliates.

• Metaboly: (Metabolic movement)

• The pellicle of protozoans contains proteinaceous strips supported by dorsal and ventral microtubules.
• A peristaltic wave of contraction and expansion passes over entire body from anterior to posterior end and
animal moves forward. The body becomes shorter and wider first at anterior end ,then in middle and later
at the posterior end.
• The sliding of these strips allows wriggling locomotion , known as metaboly.
• This results in a temporary change in the shape of the body.
 PHYLUM – ANNELIDA
GENERAL CHARACTERS AND CLASSIFICATION
• 17,426 Known species.(major phylum)
• Mostly aquatic, some terrestrial.
• Burrowing or Tubicolous (present in a tunnel like structure), some are commensal and
parasitic.
• Body elongated, Bilaterally symmetrical, Triploblastic, True coelomate and metamerically
segmented.
• Epidermis is a single layer of Columnar epithelium.
• Thin cuticle is present over epidermis which is not made of chitin.( parallel arranged fibril
embedded in matrix )----fibril made of Collagen protein.
• Body wall Dermo- muscular. Outer muscle fibers are Circular and Inner muscle fibres are
Longitudinal.
• Locomotory organs are called Setae or Chaetae made up of Chitin. May be borne by lateral
fleshy appendages or parapodia.
 Tail (Pygidium)

Prostomium
In embryonic stage Blastocoel is replaced by Archenteron
Later archenteron get modified into Gut ( digestive tract)
• Coelom, True coelomate, Schizocoelous
(coelomic cavity arises by the splitting of
mesoderm). Mostly well developed except in
Leeches.
• Coelom is divided into compartments by
Transverse Septa.
• Coelom is filled with cells or corpuscles.
• Digestive system straight and complete.
• Digestion is entirely Extracellular(outside the cell).
• Blood vascular system is Closed with respiratory
pigments either Haemoglobin or Erythrocruorin
dissolved in blood plasma.
• Body segmentation (External and internal both)
• Blood vascular system is Closed with respiratory
pigments either Haemoglobin or Erythrocruorin
dissolved in blood plasma.
• Excretory system is consisting of metamerically
disposed coiled tubes called Nephridia.
• Nervous system with a pair of cerebral
ganglia ( Brain )and a double ventral
nerve cord.
• Ventral nerve cord bears ganglia and
lateral nerve in each segments.
• Sensory organs include tactile organs,
taste buds, statocysts, photoreceptors
cell and sometimes eye with lenses in
some.
• Hermaphrodite or sexes separate.
• Cleavage spiral and Determinate.
• Larva, when present, is a trochophore.
• Regeneration is common.
 CLASSIFICATION
• On the basis of presence or absence of parapodia, setae , metamers and other morphological features
Phylum Annelida is classified into four main classes.

1.POLYCHAETA:-- E.G Aphrodite ( Sea Mouse)

Nereis

2. OLIGOCHAETA:-- E.G Tubifex

Chaetogaster

3.HIRUDINEA:-- E.G Pisicola

Hirudinaria

4. ARCHIANNELIDA :-- E.G Polygordius

Prtodrilus