Nutrition in Protozoa
Nutrition in Protozoa
Nutrition in Protozoa
Introduction....
Many ways
Some synthesize their
own food
Some house algae in
cytoplasm
Some capture food by
outer sheath
Some act as parasite
Types include holophytic,
holozoic, saprozoic,
mixotrophic & parasitic
A. Holophytic nutrition
All phytoflagellates
carrying chloroplasts
synthesize their own
food via
photosynthesis
Sunlight is utilized
for food making
Self-feeding
(autotrophic
phototrophy)
CO2 & H2O act as
raw materials
Enter into complex
cycle of chemical
reactions
Produce dextrose
From dextrose
paramylum is
formed
Characteristic of
euglenoid
flagellates
B. Holozoic nutrition
Majority derives food
by ingesting other
organisms including
plant & animals
All Sarcodina with
exception of some
parasitic species
Involves development
of organelles for food
capture, ingestion,
digestion & egestion
1. Food & feeding
Consists of
microorganisms
(protozoans,
bacteria,
diatoms,
rotifers,
crustacean
larvae)
Method involved
is phagocytosis
Colorless flagellates
& those who have
lost chromatophores
capture solid food
via flagella
Ingest it either via
naked sites on body
(Bodo)
Or through oral
apparatus (Euglena)
Paranema capture
food via rod-like
trichites
In Sarcodina, solid
food captured
through
pseudopodia
Amoeboid nutrition
Rhumbler (1910)
amoebae ingest
food by 4-ways
By import
By circumfluence
By circumvallation
By invagination
a. By import
Involves taking
food into the body
upon contact with
very little
movement
Chemical attraction
between food &
Amoeba
Passive organisms
like algae taken
b. By circumfluence
Amoeba engulfs
food organism upon
contact by rolling
over it
In order to arrest
it completely
Utilized for less
active organisms
like bacteria
c. By circumvallation
Applied when Amoeba
feeds on active prey
Sends pseudopodia to
engulf the prey while it
is at some distance away
Pseudopodia surround
the prey without
touching
Later they fuse at tips
forming food vacuole &
engulfed
d. By invagination
Method of
sucking in the
food particle
upon contact
with ectoplasm
Food particle
then sinks into
endoplasm
Heliozoans
Sun animalcules &
radiolarians
Hold & pull the prey
coming within their
reach via axopodia
acting as a trap
After capture
axopodia withdraw &
prey passes into
deeper cytoplasm
Foraminiferans
Produce delicate
reticulopodia forming
a net
A granular mucoid
film lies on
reticulopods sticking
food particles coming
in contact
Food particles are
later dragged into
cytoplasm
Ciliates
Oral apparatus for food
capture present
Beating of cilia of oral
groove carries food into
buccal cavity driving it
towards cytostome lined by
ciliary bands
It then passes towards
cytopharynx which forms
food vacuoles containing food
particles into endoplasm
Suctorians
Feed on other ciliates by
their tentacles which are
knobbed at their tips
Each tentacle has a rigid
central tube surrounded
by a contractile sheath
As prey adheres to the
tips, it is paralyzed by
toxins (hypnotoxin)
Then gradually sucked into
body via central tubes
2. Digestion
Occurs within food
vacuoles, regularly in
motion within
endoplasm
Within them reaction
is first acidic & later
alkaline
Proteolytic &
carbohydrate
splitting enzymes
already known
In acidic medium,
proteins converted into
dipeptides
In alkaline medium
dipeptides converted
into amino acids
Hydrolysis of
carbohydrates occurs
this medium
Some are able to
digest fats
Enzymes furnished by
lysosomes fusing with
food vacuoles
3. Absorption
Digested food
gets diffused into
endoplasm
Assimilated in
protoplasm
Excess food may
be stored as
glycogen,
paramylum, lipids,
chromatoid bodies
4. Egestion
Undigestible
matter expelled
from hind end of
body from any
point in case of a
moving Amoeba
Ciliates have anal
opening (cytopyge
or ectoproct)
C. Pinocytosis
Cell drinking
Reported in Amoeba,
certain flagellates &
ciliates
Involves ingestion of
liquid food by
invagination through
body surface
Pinocytosis channels are
formed at some points
to enclose liquid food
Lower end of
channels pinched
off as food
vacuoles circulating
in endoplasm
Proteins & salts
induce pinocytosis
Pinocytosis helps in
absorption of high
molecular
compounds from
external medium
D. Saprozoic nutrition
Involves absorption of
food by osmosis (through
general body surface)
Osmotrophy
Food occurs in the form
of solution of dead
organic matter
Megamoeba (Polytoma,
Astasia)
Animal survives on
proteins & carbohydrates
E. Myxotrophic nutrition
Combination of
more than 1-
mode of nutrition
Many protozoa
use
photosynthesis or
osmotrophy or
phagotrophy
Euglena,
Peranema
F. Nutrition of parasites
Mechanism of food
getting same in parasitic
& non-parasitic forms
Zoomastiogophora
(Trichomonas) has a
cytostome for food
ingestion by phagotrophy
Many parasitic ciliates
(Balantidium,
Nyctotherus) do the
same
Parasitic Sarcodina
(Entamoeba) feed by
phagotrophy at
certain stage of life
cycle
Zooflagellates
inhabiting blood
(Trypanosoma) feed
by osmotrophy
Osmotrophic forms
may be either
coelozoic or histozoic
Opalina (rectum of
frog) is coelozoic &
absorbs all food via
cell surface
Young trophozoite of
Monocystis is
histozoic within sperm
morula, feeding upon
sperm substance by
osmotrophy
Parasitic saprozoic
forms may also
directly use serum of
host’s blood
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