Protists and Fungi

Protists are larger, more complex single-celled organisms than bacteria. Many of the autotrophic protists are key producers in the intertidal environments while some of the heterotrophic forms are important consumers. Diatoms and ciliates are two common types of coastal protists. 

The frustules of diatoms are made of many minerals, but the primary component is silicon, which is also found in sand and glass. Each microscopic box is a delicate, transparent cage 

As in many protists, reproduction in diatoms is by binary fission, an asexual method in which the parent cell divides into two identical cells. Asexual reproduction involves only one parent, and the two offspring are clones, or exact duplicates of the parent. During fission, a diatom cell experiences challenges that cells of other species of protists do not face it also has to divide its frustule. 

Sexual reproduction can occur in several ways. In some species, a small diatom cell breaks into little pieces, each of which swims around until it finds another diatom cell with which it can fuse. The product of their fusion builds the new frustule. In other species, two adult diatom cells line up beside each other. Each cell undergoes division, and then they exchange one daughter cell. The new pairs of daughter cells fuse, resulting in two new cells, each possessing genetic material from two parents. 

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E. coli detects not only sugars and amino acids but also 02, extremes of temperature, and other environmental factors, using this basic two-component system. Two-component systems have been detected in many other bacteria, including gram-positive and gramnegative eubacteria and archaebacteria, as well as in protists and fungi. Clearly this signaling mechanism developed early in the course of cellular evolution and has been conserved. 

Van der Giezen M, Tovar J and Clark CG (2005) Mitochondrion-derived organelles in protists and fungi. Int Rev Cytol 244 175-225... 

The microbial interactions of microorganisms such as protists and fungi are a primary focus of microbiologists. 

This form of luminescence occurs sporadically in a wide range of natural organisms, such as protists (bacteria, fungi), animals, marine invertebrates and fish. It even exists naturally, albeit rarely, in plants or in amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals. 

DKPs are simple and easy to obtain and are quite common by-products of synthetic, spontaneous, and biological formation pathways. DKP formation has been well documented as side reactions of solid-phase and solution-phase peptide synthesis. In addition, DKPs have been shown to be decomposition products of various peptides, proteins, and other commercial pharmaceuticals. Cyclic dipeptides were found to be present in solutions of human growth hormone, bradykinin, histerlin, and solutions of agents within the classes of penicillins and cephalosporins. " DKPs are also enzymatically synthesized in several protists and in members of the plant kingdom. Hydrolysates of proteins and polypeptides often contain these compounds and they are commonly isolated from yeasts, lichens, and fungi. ... 

Nanoplankton 2.0 to 20 jjum Protists Mycoplankton Phytoplankton Amoebae, flagellates, Euglenozoa, dinoflagellates Yeasts and fungi Coccolithophorids, Phaeocystis, dinoflagellates ... 

There is compelling evidence that the hydrogenosomes described from the trichomonads, rumen protists, rumen fungi and protists inhabiting the cockroach hind gut have many mitochondrial features including the recognition of specific targeting sequences (Dacks et al. 2006), ADP/ATP carriers (Bui et al. 2006), the production of ATP (Embley et al. 2003 van Weelden et al. 

Yarlett N (1994) Fermentation product generation in rumen chytridiomycetes. In Mountfort DO, Orpin CG (eds) Anaerobic fungi. Dekker, New York, pp 129-146 Yarlett N (2004) Anaerobic protists and hidden mitochondria. Microbiology 150 127-129 Yarlett N, Hackstein JHP (2005) Hydrogenosomes one organelle, multiple origins. Bioscience 55 657-668... 

Includes anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and cyanobacteria. Only the halobacteria, and for energy only, not carbon fixation. Includes animals, fungi, protists, and plants in the dark. 

Bioluminescence. The production of light by a chemical reaction within an organism. The process occurs in many bacteria and protists, as well as certain animals and fungi.or The production of light by a biochemical system. 

Bacteria, Protists, Plants, and Fungi Along the Coast... 

Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi are critical to the intertidal zone because they break down the dead or decaying matter that accumulates there. The activities of heterotrophic bacteria return nutrients to the system, making it possible for the producers to thrive. Fungi and heterotrophic bacteria are also important members of the food chain, sustaining other protists as well as small animals such as worms and copepods. 

Cells are able to cany out all of the functions of life. During cell duplication (reproduction), the DNA is replicated (one double-stranded molecule is converted to two double-stranded molecules) by specific enzymatic reactions, and the newly formed DNA is separated into two separate cells produced by growth and division of the former single cell. In bacteria, this asexual process of reproduction is the primary means of multiplication to produce new individuals. In contrast, protists, plants, fungi, and... 

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