General Characteristics of Protozoa
Protozoa are eukaryotic microorganisms. They are considered part of the microbial world
because they are unicellular and microscopic.
Protozoa are notable for their ability to move independently, a characteristic found in the
majority of species. They usually lack the capability for photosynthesis, although the genus
Euglena is renowned for motility as well as photosynthesis. Although most protozoa
reproduce by asexual methods, sexual reproduction has been observed in several species.
Most protozoal species are aerobic, but some anaerobic species have been found in the
human intestine and animal rumen.
Protozoa are located in most moist habitats. Free-living species inhabit freshwater and marine
environments, and terrestrial species inhabit decaying organic matter. Some species are
parasites of plants and animals. Protozoa play an important role as zooplankton, the free-
floating aquatic organisms of the oceans. Here, they are found at the bases of many food
chains, and they participate in many food webs.
Size and shape: Protozoa vary substantially in size and shape. Smaller species may be the
size of fungal cells; larger species may be visible to the unaided eye. Protozoal cells have no
cell walls and therefore can assume an infinite variety of shapes. Some genera have cells
surrounded by hard shells, while the cells of other genera are enclosed only in a cell
membrane.
Many protozoa alternate between a free-living vegetative form known as a trophozoite and a
resting form called a cyst. The protozoal cyst is somewhat analogous to the bacterial spore,
since it resists harsh conditions in the environment. Many protozoal parasites are taken into
the body in the cyst form. Most protozoa have a single nucleus, but some have both a
macronucleus and one or more micronuclei. Contractile vacuoles may be present in protozoa
to remove excess water, and food vacuoles are often observed.
Nutrition and locomotion: Protozoa are heterotrophic microorganisms, and most species
obtain large food particles by phagocytosis. The food particle is ingested into a food vacuole.
Lysosomal enzymes then digest the nutrients in the particle, and the products of digestion are
distributed throughout the cell. Some species have specialized structures called cytostomes,
through which particles pass in phagocytosis.
Many protozoal species move independently by one of three types of locomotor organelles:
flagella, cilia, and pseudopodia. Flagella and cilia are structurally similar, having a “9-plus-2”
system of microtubules, the same type of structure found in the tail of animal sperm cells and
certain cells of unicellular algae. How a protozoan moves is an important consideration in
assigning it to a group.
Reproduction
Asexual
• Schizogony - “multiple fission” - nucleus divides repeatedly, allowing one cell to give
rise to many daughter cells
• Binary Fission - one nuclear division gives rise to two daughter cells
• Budding - outgrowth of a mature cell grows and becomes a new daughter cell –
Budding in Amoeba proteus
Sexual
• Conjugation - cells that have undergone a reduction division fuse, exchange haploid
micronuclei, and separate - each gives rise to two daughter cells
Conjugation in Paramecium caudatum
