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Comparative Anatomy Between Protist Supergroups
Introduction
Recently, the Kingdom of Protista has been disassembled due to discoveries of possible
evolution and new genetic relationships. As such, scholars have established different
supergroups of protists, which are believed to have evolved from a single ancestor; therefore,
members of the same group are closely related. It is of the essence to realize that, to understand
protists better, one should focus more on differences and similarities, and less on the
nomenclature. However, since protists are comprised of diverse groups of microorganisms, there
is little knowledge about their evolution and relatedness. In essence, this essay will look in-depth
at what defines the three protist supergroups, which include Euglenozoa, Rhizaria, and
Amoebozoa. Additionally, the paper will compare and contrast the three organisms considering
that they are closely related.
Differences and Similarities
Essentially, Euglenozoa comprises of organisms that are of single-celled; moreover, this
group has a variety of feeding mechanisms, which include parasitism, osmotrophy, and predation
among others. In the same way, members of these groups show distinct feeding apparatus
structures; however, all Euglenozoa share derived cytoskeletal features of the flagellar apparatus.
On the other hand, Rhizaria is a supergroup mostly comprised of single-celled and unicellular
microorganisms with needle-like structures referred to as pseudopodia. Unlike Euglenozoa,
Rhizaria depends on pseudopodia for locomotion, for food particles’ engulfment and distribution
of oxygen and nutrients. The third microorganism, Amoebozoa comprises of colonial,
unicellular, and multicellular organisms that have no specialized tissues. Similar to Rhizaria,
Amoebozoa has pseudopodia used for both locomotion and feeding. However, they differ in
characteristic; pseudopodia in Amoebozoa have flat lobes or tube-like extensions, while in
Rhizaria, it is hair-like (Caron 9). Depending on the species, Amoebozoa food varies from
bacteria, unicellular algae, to smaller protozoans.
There are several similarities exhibited by the three organisms that belong to protist
supergroup. First, all protists are eukaryotes, with highly organized; it is crucial to acknowledge
the fact that all protist supergroups belong to this group of organism. Another essential attribute
shared between the three groups is that they have the ability to move. For instance, Rhizaria and
Amoebozoa use pseudopodia for locomotion, while Euglenozoa uses flagellar to move from one
place to another. Another common aspect is reproduction where all three protist supergroups
reproduce through asexual mechanisms. According to studies, it may be through two significant
ways, which include multiple or binary fission; the former is where the parent cell gives rise to
other numerous identical cells, while the latter involves parent cells splitting into two identical
cells. Euglenozoa, Rhizaria, and Amoebozoa exhibit various modes of nutrition, an aspect
influenced by their structural apparatus (Hampl 386). For instance, they can be either
autotrophic, heterotrophic, or both.
Conclusion
Until a decade ago, Protista was a recognized Kingdom, where microorganisms with
similar characteristics were grouped. However, after advanced technology, there were
discoveries such as new genetic relationships and the possibility of continued evolution for some
