Cell/Protist/Monera Unit Review

Question 1 How would you describe protists to a friend who has never heard of them before? Remember, you need to make them sound different than plants, animals, fungi and monerans! Protists are microscopic, unicellular, aquatic (live in water), eukaryotic (true nucleus) and have some way to move around their environment. They do not have tissues or organs, which animals do have. Some photosynthesize using chloroplasts, while others consume food. The Euglena even does both!

Question 2 Your friend is still a little confused so you describe some specific examples: amoeba, paramecium, volvox and euglena. Don’t forget to include their structures for feeding and movement! Amoeba: This blob-like protist is the ultimate shape shifter. It uses pseudopods (false feet) to move and capture prey. Paramecium: A slipper-shaped protists that pushes prey towards its oral groove using hair-like projections called cilia.

Question 2 cont… Your friend is still a little confused so you describe some specific examples: amoeba, paramecium, volvox and euglena. Don’t forget to include their structures for feeding and movement! Volvox: A colony of algae living together as one organism that often have daughter colonies growing inside. They photosynthesize using chloroplasts and move using flagella. Euglena: This is an omnivorous protist that is capable of consuming prey or photosynthesizing. They swim use a tail-like projection called a flagella and detect light using their eyespot.

Question 3 For protists, what is the purpose of a cyst? Where have we experienced cysts in this class? Protists will form a protective envelope to keep them safe until conditions are fit for their survival. It is a similar idea to bears hibernating when it is cold.

Question 4 What distinguishes monera from other kingdoms? What else do you know about this kingdom? Monera do not have a true nucleus – they are prokaryotic. This means that their DNA (genetic material) is floating within the cell, instead of contained in a nuclear membrane. They are also much smaller than eukaryotic cells. Lastly, they were the first organisms on Earth. This kingdoms consists mostly of bacteria. There are both good and bad bacteria and they are everywhere! They come in rod, sphere and spiral shapes.

Question 5 Pretend you are Dr. John Snow and you are trying to convince the people of London that your theory on cholera is true. State your claim, give specific evidence to support your claim and explain your reasoning. Use the graphic below as a guide.

Question 5 Claim: The cholera bacteria is being spread through water at the Broad Street Pump. Evidence: Many deaths centered around this pump including a woman who lived in another area but had her water brought from Broad Street, bacteria was observed under a microscope from water sample at the pump, when the handle was removed from the pump the epidemic stopped. Reasoning: Since the deaths only occurred with people who have consumed water from the broad street pump and there was evidence of bacteria in this water, but not in the water from other pumps, it can be inferred that the bacteria is causing the disease. The epidemic coming to an end when people could no longer drink from the pump further supports this claim.

Question 6 Your little cousin is very immature. To set a good example, you describe the reproduction of protists and monerans without giggling. Protists and monera reproduce asexually. There are a few different names and techniques, which include: fission, budding, cell division. The “parent” produces a copy of itself and that offspring is considered a new generation.

Question 7 You overhear a child at a pet shop telling his grandpa that he wants a pet robot instead of a hamster. Using the life processes, explain to this child why a robot is not considered a living pet. All living things (organisms) are made of cells, move or grow, excrete waste, do cellular respiration, reproduce, obtain nutrients, and respond to their environment. Organisms fit into five main kingdoms, monera (oldest), protists, plants, animals, and fungi.

Question 8 Your mom is trying to help you study for a science test and just doesn’t get the difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Help her out and give an example of each in your description. Eukaryotic cells have their DNA confined in a nuclear envelope so they have a true nucleus. Some examples we saw in class were onion cells, cheek cells, and protists. Prokaryotic cells do not have a nuclear membrane, so their DNA is not separated from the rest of the cell.

Question 9 If you thought the last one was hard for mom, she really isn’t getting organelles! Help her understand the function of the Cytoplasm, Chloroplasts, Cell Wall, Nuclear Membrane, and Nucleus by describing each and comparing them to something she’s familiar with. Cytoplasm: Watery environment within a cell. Choroplasts: The chlorophyll inside makes them appear green and is in charge of photosynthesis in plants and plant-like protists. Cell Wall: Outer structure on plant cells that helps maintain their shape and gives them support. Nuclear Membrane: Similar to the cell membrane only it is just around the nucleus. Nucleus: The command center of the cell. It gives directions to all other organelles.

Question 10 Describe succession in a natural pond. How does this compare to changes in your own pond? Succession is the natural progression of a pond ecosystem over time. It starts by a hole filling with water, followed by debris slowly filling up the pond, and finally the pond becomes a marsh or grassland depending on the area. In our ponds, the lemna reproduced, protists came out of their cysts, rice was broken down and used as nutrients for protists, the water became darker, leaves settled to the bottom, the water began to smell and some water evaporated.

Question 11 Explain a situation when matter is transformed, not created or destroyed. Where does it go instead? One example of energy being transformed is a large fish eating a small fish and using that energy to grow. The small fish is not gone, it provides nutrients for the larger fish and any unused portions will become waste that will settle to the bottom of the pond to either be food or soil.