A Functional Biology of Free-Living Protozoa

ISBN-13: 9780709916789 / Angielski / Miękka / 1984 / 230 str.

J. a. Laybourn-Parry

Opis

General Editor: Peter Calow. Department of Zoology. University of Sheffield. England The main aim of this series will be to illustrate and to explain the way organisms 'make a living' in nature. At the heart of this - their func- tional biology - is the way organisms acquire and then make use of resources in metabolism, movement, growth, reproduction, and so on. These processes will form the fundamental framework of all the books in the series. Each book will concentrate on a particular taxon (species, family, class or even phylum) and will bring together information on the form, physiology, ecology and evolutionary biology of the group. The aim will be not only to describe how organisms work, but also to consider why they have come to work in that way. By concentrating on taxa which are well known, it is hoped that the series will not only illustrate the success of selection, but also show the constraints imposed upon it by the physiological, morphological and developmentallimita- tions of the groups. Another important feature of the series will be its organismic orienta- tion. Each book will emphasise the importance of functional integra- tion in the day-to-day lives and the evolution of organisms. This is crucial since, though it may be true that organisms can be considered as collections of gene-determined traits, they nevertheless interact with their environment as integrated wholes and it is in this context that individual traits have been subjected to natural selection and have evolved.

Spis treści

1. The Protozoan Cell.- A. Introduction.- B. Protozoan Systematics.- C. Evolution of Protozoa.- D. Free-living Protozoa.- (i) Mastigophora — The Flagellates.- (ii) Sarcodina — The Amoebae.- (iii) Ciliophora — The Ciliates.- E. The Protozoan Cell.- 2. How Protozoa Obtain Energy.- A. Introduction.- B. Modes of Feeding.- (i) Protozoa With a Cytostome or Cell Mouth.- (ii) Protozoa Lacking a Cytostome.- (iii) Pinocytosis.- C. Food Selection in Protozoa.- D. Digestive Processes.- E. Symbiotic Relationships in Protozoa.- F. Factors Influencing Feeding.- 3. Physiological Functioning of Protozoa.- A. Introduction.- B. Asexual Life-cycle.- (i) Types of Binary Fission.- (ii) Mean Cell Volume Variation.- (iii) Growth and Factors Influencing Growth and Division.- C. Sexual Reproduction.- (i) Factors Stimulating Sexual Reproduction.- (ii) Isogamous Reproduction.- (iii) Anisogamous Reproduction.- D. Respiration.- (i) Aerobic Respiration.- (ii) Anaerobic Respiration.- E. Osmoregulation and Excretion.- 4. Movement.- A. Introduction.- B. The Structure of Locomotory Organelles.- (i) Ciliophora and Mastigophora.- (ii) Sarcodina.- C. Chemical Basis of Movement.- (i) Chemical Processes in Cilia and Flagella.- (ii) Chemical Processes in Amoeboid Movement.- D. Forms of Locomotion.- (i) Locomotion in Ciliates and Flagellates.- (ii) Contractile Movement in Ciliates.- (iii) Locomotion in Sarcodina.- E. Factors Influencing Speed of Movement.- (i) Flagellates.- (ii) Ciliates.- (iii) Sarcodina.- 5. Trophic Relations of Protozoa.- A. Introduction.- B. Protozoan Energetics.- (i) The Energy Equivalents of Protozoa and their Food.- (ii) Energetics.- (iii) How Protozoa Maximise Net Energy Returns from their Feeding Behaviour.- C. r-K Selection in Protozoan Populations.- D. Interactions of Bacterivorous Protozoa with their Food Source.- (i) The Impact of Protozoa on their Bacterial Food Source.- (ii) The Role of Protozoa in Nutrient Recycling.- E. Predators of Protozoa.- 6. Ecology and Adaptability.- A. Introduction.- B. Ecology and Adaptation in the Natural Environment.- C. Encystment.- D. Protozoa in Sewage Treatment.- E. The Role of Protozoa in Polluted Ecosystems.- 7. Conclusions.