Please read the short articles on edline. Notice that there are three different articles and you should choose yours according to your last name. Summarize the article and provide details on what you found interesting and any important concepts related to protist biology. Why do we study protists in zoology (if they are not animals)?
My article to read was the one talking about the relationship between termites and the protozoa that live inside of them. A scientist found evidence that termites and protozoa have been helping each other out for 100 million years. Basically, the termites depend on the protozoa to digest all the wood they eat. Without them, the termites wouldn't be able to eat nearly as much as they do. The protozoa also depend on the termites to provide them food to digest. In this way it is a symbiotic relationship-two different organisms helping each other out. The article also talks about how termites secrete a liquid that contains some protozoa for the baby termites to eat so that they can also have the protozoa. That's...disgusting. But whatever works I guess. I found it interesting that this relationship has been going on for so long. I guess I hadn't ever thought about the length of these things. It was also cool to read about how amber works. I thought it was interesting that scientists can just find specimens perfectly preserved in old tree sap. We study protists in zoology when they are not animals because sometimes understanding them is essential to understanding other animals, like the termite, for example.
ReplyDeleteProtein Compass Guides Amoebas Toward Their Prey-
ReplyDeleteAmoebas is able to smell their food and then glide towards the bacteria by their molecular motor located on the amoeba's edge. Richard Firtel, Sheng Zhang and Pascale Charest were curious about what was responsible for switching on and off the amoeba's motor. They were able to determined this by testing 7 proteins that were suspected to be the cause. They tested NF1, which turned out to be the right protein. What NF1 does is when a amoeba smells their prey, NF1 turns the Ras (the motor) on, which allows the amoeba to move. The three men were also able to see that without the protein NF1, the Amoeba would wander around aimlessly without direction because the Ras would turn on and off at random. From the men's research, it would appear that many other types of cells that a switch that turns on and off is an important role in navigational control. The whole article was interesting, I knew little about Amoebas and how they move from place to place. This article allowed me to learn a lot about the Amoeba. What was especially interesting though was the protein responsible for Amoebas molecular switch, is the same for ours, but ours has a different role than for Amoebas. The reason we study protists, though they are not animals, is because they are "animal like". There are some similarities between both animals and protists.
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ReplyDeleteThe article that I read was about how an amoeba glides towards its prey. The amoeba contains a certain protein switch that acts as a sort of compass. They are able to find their prey by its scent and then use a molecular motor to move towards it. A protein called Ras is what is used to activate the motor. This molecular switch is identical to the one found in humans as well as other vertebrates. Humans, however, use the switch to detect infections and help immune cells locate that infection. Researchers found that when the amoeba is without the switch, they “wandered aimlessly.” I thought it was interesting that the amoeba and humans, as well as other vertebrates, have this commonality between them. It is sometimes difficult to understand that humans share these characteristics with such unlike things such as amoeba. It is surprising how we (humans and amoeba) use similar devices to help detect bacteria and infections. The reason that we study protists is that they are similar to other animals. They share characteristics such as the molecular switch. Therefore, by better understanding amoeba, we may be able to better understand other animals.
ReplyDeletei though it was interesting to learn how amoebas move towards its prey, i thought it was really interesting that they have the same molecular switch found in humans and other vertebrates. i thought it was very cool to know that amoebas can actually smell their food.
ReplyDeletewe are studying protists because they have many similarities to animals, they are animal like. and in zoology we study animals so why not study animal like things too.
I read the one about the termites and how the have a mutual relationship with protists that digest food for them (in the form of wood) in their gut. I thought it was very cool how the termites and th eprotists have had this since the last 100 million years or so, but it makes me want to know how exactly it happened. was it an accident on both of the animal's part, or was it "planned". even then i would like to know how the protists got the gut and where able to live there when they first started having this ralrionship. One other thingis that there was another bug below the termite, and given they must have been in the same spot for the amber to get them both, it only makes want to ask what that beetle-like insect is.
ReplyDeleteThe article I read was about the symbiotic relationship between the termite and protists. It's interesting the something that seems to gross, the termite actually needs to survive. Without the protists, termites wouldn't be able to digest the wood they eat. The protists do that. The protsts also need the termites. Without them, they wouldn't have any food. The whole idea that termites are wood eaters is because of the protists that digest for them. It's really the protists that should get the credit for the holes in the wood cabinets. Another interesting aspect to this article was about how the termites have been preserved. Scientists have been able to look at remains of termites that have been perfectly preserved in tree sap that has turned into amber. They are able to see them because of the preservation from the amber.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about the termites and the protists, who have shared a mutualistic relationship for 100 million years. The termite basically survived because the protozoa that were living inside of it were helping it to digest the wood. The termites in turn, provided the protists with food to eat, which was the wood. I thought it was really cool that so many years later, the scientists can go back and look at the termite because it was preserved by the amber. So many discoveries can be made about smaller insects from the past because they can be preserved.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how the Amoebas glide toward their prey with a protein switch that controls a molecular compass. They glide toward their food by smelling their scent. This molecular switch is also shared by humans and vertebrates to help immune cells locate the sites of infections. I thought it was interesting how we have similar functions form the Amoeba and humans as well as vertebrates. A protein called Ras sets of the singnal to start up the motor. But they have not known what controlled the Ras. NF1 is what turns Ras off. Without the switch mutant amoebas extended false feet called pseudopida in all directions. The protiens we are studying are similar to some animals. So as we study the amoebas, we can better understand the importance of animals and how they are related to science.
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