BIOL 123: Protist Virtual Lab 

Objectives: Following this lab you should be able to…​

• Identify various species and taxonomic groups under the microscope (by image)
• Describe key characteristics of each including: how/what they eat, if/how they move, key organelles and life history traits
• Discuss the effect of each protist on the ecology or health of biological systems
• ​Compare the traditional and new classification system showing an understanding of "protists" as a paraphyletic group
  

Overview

• Exercise I. You will review a slide show of 10 protists. Using the original lab manual and the provided PowerPoint, you will classify each protist to the appropriate taxonomic level. Your results will be recorded in the table provided in the Post-Lab.

• Exercise II. You will identify special morphological and life history characteristics of each type of protist and record your answers in the table provided in the Post-Lab.

• Exercise III. ​In Part 1 you will identify the new "key lineage" to which each protist belongs and record your answers in the table provided in the Post-Lab. In Part 2, you will write an essay comparing the traditional to the new classification system. 

Before you begin! Open the Protist Post-Lab. 
​Follow the directions in each exercise closely so you know what to put in your Post-Lab to receive full credit for this online activity.​
*Please note that your responses for Exercise I, II and Part A of Exercise III will all be placed in one large table in the Post-Lab.

• Exercise I
• Exercise II
• Exercise III

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The photo gallery below depicts two images of each protist discussed in your lab manual and in the accompanying PowerPoint.
The first image on each slide is from a past BIOL 123 lab and was taken under the compound microscope. The second image is more idealized photo. 
​

1. Go through the images carefully.
2. Determine which slide (the number is in the caption, they are in order 1-10) matches each protist.

Protist List

• Amoeba proteus
• Spirogyra sp.
• Entamoeba histolytica
• Dinoflagellates
• Paramecium caudatum
• Euglen gracilis
• Giardia lamblia
• Plasmodium falciparum
• Diatoms
• Volvox sp.

1

3

5

7

9

2

4

6

8

10

1. Please view the videos below of protist movement. You can test your knowledge in the last video.
2. Continuing working on your table.
3. Identify the characteristics provided for each protist from the slide show: special organelles, method of movement, mode of energy acquisition, common habitat, special life history traits, how they live, and potential human implications. 
4. Use the provided PowerPoint and your original lab manual for help. 

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--- Can you tell which is which in this video? ---

The term protist (literally, “the very first”) refers to all eukaryotes that are not land plants, fungi, or animals. Protists have no defining feature that is found only in protists and in no other organisms. As a result, they do not form a naturally occurring unified group. Historically, protists were thought to represent their own separate kingdom, but this viewpoint is now obsolete. Nevertheless, “protist” is still used as a collective term for practical purposes.
Part 1

1. Review section 27.4, including Table 27.3, in your BIOL 120 eText for help with this task.
2. Complete the table you began in Exercise 1, by identifying the new "Key Lineage of Eukaryotes" in which each protist now belongs.

Part 2

1. ​Review the two images below (click to enlarge). 
2. Please read (or re-read) the introduction to chapter 27 and the chapter review in your BIOL 120 eText.
3. Write a brief essay (~250 words) on the difference between the two classification systems below. Be sure to include the reasons for the "new" system and include morphological and genetic evidence for the new phylogeny.

Traditional System

Revised Phylogeny