Plant Science: Protists

An illustrated A-Z encyclopedia of facts and information on topics relevant to modern science, including the cell, biological evolution, the behavior of organisms and more.

From simple inorganic catalysts to vital biological cofactors, divalent transition metals are instrumental to electron transfers, catalysis and signalling. Their natural ability to bind, exchange and react with organic molecules including oxygen requires from living cells to regulate uptake with metabolic activities, sensing and chaperoning, distributing and storing, or excreting excess to prevent detrimental biochemical reactions. Since transition metal deficiency and overload both limit cell growth it is no surprise that the immune system evolved a dual strategy, of metal starvation or intoxication, to thwart microbial invasions. Like environmental metal availability determined biological use it also shaped host-microbe metal economy: Fe and Mn, available early in evolution and still required rather ubiquitously, are generally withheld by host in response to infection; Zn and Cu, which became bioavailable later, essentially to eukaryotic cells may be bombarded toward invaders. Successful microbial pathogens have evolved elaborate counter-measures to cope with host metal defenses. This research topic aims to review and discuss metal currencies in host-microbe interactions focusing on new findings about micro-organism pathogenesis determinants in the face of host innate strategies to interfere with microbial physiology.

Freshwater Algae provides an accessible and highly practical guide to a range of techniques used in the identification and enumeration of these important microorganisms. The first three chapters explore how to sample, measure and observe algae, before examining their role as bioindicators and application within water quality management, whilst the last chapter provides a key for identifying the principal algal genera with related environmental information on over 250 major species. This book will appeal to practitioners and researchers in addition to providing an invaluable resource for graduate and postgraduate students who are new to the field. --Book Jacket.

Kingdom Prokaryotae (bacteria, monera, prokarya) -- Kingdom Protoctista -- Kingdom Animalia -- Kingdom Fungi -- Kingdom Plantae.

The Pathogenic Enteric Protozoa: Giardia, Entamoeba, Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora compromise the health of millions of people, largely from developing nations. These protozoan parasitic agents contribute significantly to the staggering caseload of diarrheal disease morbidity encountered in developing world nations. Compounding the issue of their mere presence is the fact that standard ova and parasite exams frequently do not detect these infections. Detectable stages may be shed intermittently or require specialized staining procedures. Added to this is the often large number of asymptomatic carriers who serve as reservoirs for infecting others. These parasites are also not strangers to more developed nations, having responsibility for both small and large-scale disease outbreaks. In such settings they may be even more difficult to detect simply because they are frequently overlooked in the grand scheme of disease causing possibilities. They share common features: all are Protozoa, all possess trophic stages that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract, all have the ability to produce disease and in some instances death, and all produce environmentally stable cysts or oocysts, which ensure their transmissibility.