Transcript Making sense of the vast Diversity of Life

Organizing the diversity
• Systematics;
studying the
diversity
– Taxonomy to classify
organisms & groups
• Prokaryotic
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Bacteria and bacteria-like
Simpler
Smaller cell size
DNA without nucleus
Cell wall & other crude
protective layers
– Lack organelles
• Eukaryotic
– Protista, Plants, Fungi, &
Animals
– Complex
– >cell size; 10x larger
– DNA in nucleus
– Cell membrane
• Some also have cell wall
– Membrane bound organelles
• specialization
• Domains Bacteria & Archaea
Domain Eukarya
Bacteria
• Morphology
– Rods (bacilli)
– Spheres (cocci)
– Spirals
• Feeding
– Heterotrophic
– Autotrophic
• Photoautotrophic
• Chemoautotrophic
• Oxygen pathways
– Aerobic
– Anaerobic
– Facultative anaerobic
• Decomposers
– Breakdown DOM
– Ammonia → nitrate
– N2 gas → NH4 → nitrate
Archaea
• Similar in shape and
simplicity to Bacteria
– Share some genetic
similarities with
Eukaryotes
• Extremophiles
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Temperature (>/= 121o)
Salinity
pH
e.g. hydrothermal vents
Other fun marine microbes
• Unicellular algae
– Plant-like Protists
– Mostly photosynthetic
• Autotrophs converting
light E to ATP
– Primary producers
– Planktonic
• Drift in the water
column
Diatoms: Phylum Bacillariophyta
• Silicon shell = frustule
– Glass-like
– 2 halves like a petri dish
• Major planktonic 1o
producer
• Dead sink forming much
of biogenous sediments
Diatom reproduction
Dinoflagellates
• “spinning flagellates”
– Grooved perpendicular
flagella
• Some produce toxins (like
some diatoms)
– Poison accumulates in
shellfish; poisons
consumers
• Red tides
• Bioluminescent
• Zooxanthellae
– Photosynthetic symbionts
of anemones and corals
• Chrysophyta
– Silicoflagellates
• Star shaped; silicon
– Desmids
• Pectin & silican
walls
• Golden or yellow
• Coccolithorids
– Calcium carbonate
coccoliths
• All are important
planktonic 1o
producers
Emiliania huxleyi (E. huxleyi)
Protozoans
• Animal-like protists
– Heterotrophs
– Unicellular or colonial
– Various forms
• Foraminiferans
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Have a CaCO3 shell
Thin extended pseudopods
Planktonic or benthic
Adds to the calcareous
sediments
• Radiolarians
– Silica shells; thin pseudopods;
planktonic; silicious sediments
• Ciliates
– Aggregate shells or sand
particles
– Crown of cilia
Fungi
• Heterotrophic
– Decomposers
• Breakdown DOM
– Some parasitic
– Some symbiotic
• w/ algae &/or
cyanobacteria
• = Lichens
• Fungi provide structure &
support (home); algae
provides photosynthesis
products (sugars)