Zooflagellates – protozoan, Biology

Assignment Help:

Zooflagellates – Protozoan

Zooflagellates are heterotrophs that are free living, commensals or symbiotic or parasitic in other animals. A number of species eg. Trichonynzpha and Myxotricha live within the gut of termites and digest cellulose that the wood-eating termites feed o but cannot digest for themselves.

Trichortympha lives as a mutualistic symbiont in the hindgut of wood-eating insects (termites and woodroaches). The anterior end of these large, complex flagellates (sometimes over 300 pm long) is covered with an elaborate pellicle and hundreds of flagella, but the posterior end extends pseudopods and ingests bits of wood. The flagellate is able to produce cellulose-digesting enzymes, but the insect host cannot; and therefore, depends on carbohydrates released by its symbionts.

Each time the insect molts, it loses the lining of the hindgut and all its symbionts. If it is unable to acquire new ones, it will starve to death, even though it continues to feed normally, for it cannot digest the wood. The flagellates are equally dependent on the mutualism and die within minutes outside the host. A young or newly-molted termite acquires symbionts by feeding directly from the anal opening of other termites in the colony. Myxotricha appears to be covered with flagella. But only four of these are true flagella and the others are a kind of bacteria or spirochetes (see margin remarks) attached to its surface. Their lashing movements enable the flagellate to swim about, and its own flagella help in steering.

2308_Zoo flagellates.png

                                                                 Figure: Zooflagellates parasitic in the gut of termites.

Other well known parasitic species of flagellates are Trypanosoma and Leishmania found in humans and cattle in Africa and Asia. Trypanosoma causes sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle. The blood of the host is infected with the flagellate when the tsetse fly bites the host. Leishnamia is the agent for the widespread kala-azar and related disease. It affects the immune system and causes skin lesions among other effects. The host for this protozoan is the blood sucking sand fly.


Related Discussions:- Zooflagellates – protozoan

Zoology, why protozoass dont have vaccines esp. plasmodiums

why protozoass dont have vaccines esp. plasmodiums

Cardiac catheterization of mitral stenosis, Q. Cardiac Catheterization of m...

Q. Cardiac Catheterization of mitral stenosis? Cardiac catheterization is rarely needed to diagnose mitral stenosis. An end diastolic gradient more than 5 mm Hg. across mitral

Biodiversity as services, Biodiversity provides us with life -sustaining se...

Biodiversity provides us with life -sustaining services. As discussed below, these ecosystem services have a much higher value than most people realize. At the ecosystem level, bio

How do chloroplasts multiply, How do chloroplasts multiply? Like mitoch...

How do chloroplasts multiply? Like mitochondria chloroplasts have their own DNA, RNA and ribosomes and they self-replicate through binary division.

Explain the true indications of endodontic surgery, Explain the True indica...

Explain the True indications of Endodontic Surgery 1. Failure of non-surgical endo. Re-treatment "persistent lesion" 2. Failure of initial and retreatment will not achieve b

Explain nucleotides, Nucleotides Compounds  consisting of a  nitrogenou...

Nucleotides Compounds  consisting of a  nitrogenous  base,  a  pentose sugar and a phosphate group.

Metabolic alterations and nutritional problems - cancer, Metabolic Alterati...

Metabolic Alterations and the Resultant Nutritional Problems/ Clinical Manifestations Associated With Cancer? Several research studies have shown that malignant growth (cancer)

State bioinert materials, State Bioinert materials Bioinert materials a...

State Bioinert materials Bioinert materials are chemically inert in the body and exhibit minimal chemical interaction with adjacent tissue such as titanium and alumina (Al 2 O

Blood vitreous barrier as the physio-chemical property, Explain the blood v...

Explain the blood vitreous barrier as the physio-chemical property. Blood Vitreous Barrier: The blood vitreous barrier consists of three components: Tight junctional comp

Closed style - style of stigma interaction, Closed Style - Style of Stigma ...

Closed Style - Style of Stigma Interaction Cotton shows an epidermis with stomata, a cortex of thin-walled parenchyma with several vascular bundles and strands of transmitting

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd