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Definition of Flagellates (Mastigophora)
Flagellata comes from the word flagellum which means "feather whip". Flagellates are also often referred to as Mastigophora. The word "mastigophora" comes from the Greek words mastig which means "whip" and phoros which means "movement". Thus it can be concluded that Flagellates are a type of Protozoa that has a locomotion tool in the form of whip feathers (flagellates).
Flagellates are the ancestors of animals and plants. Flagella in Flagellata are located at the anterior end of the body. In addition to functioning as a locomotion, flagella can also be used to determine the state of the environment and collect food by producing a flow of water around the mouth so that food can enter the mouth. Flagellate cytoplasm is surrounded by a pellicle or a clear sheath that gives it a fixed body shape.
Flagellate Characteristics
Flagellates or Mastigophora have several characteristics or characteristics that distinguish them from the other three types of Protozoa . In the following, the authors describe the characteristics of flagellates in general.
■ Moving with feather whip (flagellum).
■ Live free (solitary), saprophyte, parasites in animals and humans, and there is also a symbiotic mutualism.
■ Have a pellicle which is a flexible membrane to protect and give shape remains even without the outer frame structure.
■ Characteristically microscopic, mostly flagellates can not be observed by the naked eye (without the aid of a microscope ).
■ generally have an oval body shape, long and round.
■ Characteristically if live solitary unicellular or multicellular if live in colonies.
■ There are mitochondria and some are not.
■ Unable to form a cyst.
■ Habitat flagellates mostly fresh water, sea water, wet ground or in the living body as a parasite.
Classification of Flagellates
Judging from the shape of the body, flagellates are divided into two types, namely flagellates shaped like plants called phytoflagellates and flagellates shaped like animals called zooflagellates . The differences between the two types of flagellates are as follows.
Phytoflagellates
Phytoflagellates are flagellates that have plastids and chlorophyll pigments that are used to carry out the photosynthesis process so that phytoflagellates are autotrophs. In the aquatic environment, phytoflagellates act as phytoplankton that supply food for other organisms. Based on the shape of the body and the number of flagella it has, phytoflagellates are grouped into three classes, namely:
1) Euglenoids
Euglenoids have a body shape that resembles a spindle and is covered by a pellicle. Euglenoids have one or two flagella at the anterior end. At the anterior end there is a red eye spot that contains the pigment carotene. These eye spots serve to protect the light-sensitive area at the base of the flagella.
The best known member of the Euglenoida group is Euglena viridis. Euglena viridis is commonly found in fresh water with the following characteristics:
■ It has a body size of 35-60 microns
■ The tip of a tapered body with a feather whip, so it can move on with flagella. This movement is also known as euglenoid motion .
■ Have a stigma (red eye spots) to distinguish between dark and light
■ Having chloroplast containing chlorophyll used for berfotosintetis. There are also non-chloroplast Euglena , such as Astasia .
■ Food entry through sitofaring leading to the vacuole and in the vacuole of food in the form of tiny organisms will be digested.
2) Dinoflagellates
Dinoflagellates vary in body shape but are mostly oblong with brownish and yellowish coloration. Dinoflagellates are constituents of marine plankton. Although most of them live in the sea, but some live in fresh water. Dinoflagellates are symbiotic in coral reefs, jellyfish, anemones and other invertebrates. The flagella are located in a transverse depression that surrounds the body.
Many species of dinoflagellates lose their flagella and grow as a non-motile vegetative phase. Examples of dinoflagellate members include Ceratilum, Noctiluca milliaris, and Gymnodinium . Noctiluca milliaris mostly lives in seawater and has the following characteristics.
■ It has two flagella that is one long and one short
■ Make a symbiosis with certain types of algae
■ The body can emit beams exposed mechanical stimulation. We can see it at night, when the waves break the rocks or the paddles hit the sea water, there will be a sparkling light produced by Noctiluca . This event is known as bioluminescence .
3) Volvocida
Volvocida are generally spherical in shape and live solitary or in colonies. Volvocida has 2 flagella. The cell wall of Volvocida is composed of cellulose. For example, the most famous member of this group is the Volvox globator . The characteristics of volvox are as follows.
The colony consists of thousands of single-celled individuals and each has two flagella.
■ Each cell has a nucleus, contractile vacuole, stigma, and chloroplasts.
■ The cells are connected by threads of protoplasm that form a physiological relationship.
Zooflagellates
Zooflagellates are flagellates that do not have chlorophyll pigment and are heterotrophs. Some zooflagellates are free-living but most are parasites with animal-like shapes. Some of the best known examples of zooflagellates are those of the species of the genera Trypanosoma and Leishmania . The following is a complete description of the two genera.
1) Trypanosoma
Trypanosoma have long flat bodies like leaves and do not form cysts. Trypanosomes live in the red blood cells, white blood cells and liver cells of their vertebrate hosts. Infection due to Trypanosoma is also known as trypanosomiasis . In its life cycle, Trypanosoma has two forms, namely flagellated in the extracellular phase and unflagellated in the intracellular phase. Part of its life cycle is attached to gastric cells or sucks human blood. Intermediate hosts (intermediaries) Trypanosoma are blood-sucking animals such as rat fleas, Tabanus flies, tse-tse flies, Glossina palpalis flies and Glossina morsitans flies .
Examples of the types of Trypanosoma are as follows.
■ Trypanosoma lewisi, living in mice, the intermediary host is a rodent infestation.
■ Trypanosoma evansi , causes disease sura (lazy) in cattle, the intermediary host is tabanus flies.
■ Trapanosoma brucei, causes nagano disease in cattle, the intermediary host is the tse-tse flies.
■ Trypanosoma gambiense and Trypanosoma rhodesiense . Animals that cause sleep in humans were originally found in Africa, then spread to Asia. The intermediate hosts were the fly Glossina palpalis for T. gambiense and the fly Glossina mursitans for T. rhodesiense .
■ Trypanosoma cruzi, the cause of anemia in children (cagas). Trypanosoma Cruzi is found in Central America.
2) Leishmania
Leishmania is a cause of disease in the endothelial cells of blood vessels. Endothelium is an epithelial cell that lines the heart, blood vessels and lymph vessels. Examples of types of Leishmania are as follows.
■ Leishmania donovani, causes kala azar disease characterized by fever and anemia. This species is found in Egypt, around the Mediterranean and India.
■ Leishmania tropica, cause a skin disease called oriental disease. This species is found in Asia (Mediterranean area) and parts of South America.
■ Leishmania brasilliensis , cause skin disease in Mexico and Central America and South America.
How to Reproduction Flagellates
For flagellates , phytoflagellates reproduce in two ways, namely sexually by conjugation and asexually by dividing. As for the zooflagellate type flagellates , reproduction occurs asexually by longitudinal binary fission, while sexual reproduction is not widely known.
Examples and Roles of Flagellates in Life
It has been explained previously that many flagellates live freely in moist soil, water, symbiotic habitats, live inside other organisms with mutualism or parasitic relationships. Here are some examples of flagellate organisms and their role in life.
■ Trichonympha and Myxotricha
2 This type of flagellates lives in the intestines of termites which helps termites to digest wood because they can secrete cellulose enzymes. This enzyme makes the wood particles softer, so they are easily broken down and broken down into small pieces and then absorbed by termites. This absorbed material is partly needed by termites and partly for the survival of Flagellates. Thus intertwined symbiotic mutualism (mutual benefit).
■ Trichomonas vaginalis
When viewed from the name, this type causes one type of vaginitis, which is an inflammation of the vagina which is characterized by discharge and accompanied by a burning sensation and itching. This species does not have a cyst stage and spreads as a venereal disease. Can also infect and spread in men causing prostatitis. Trichomonas vaginalis can be passed from woman to man through sexual intercourse.
■ Giardia lamblia
Is the only intestinal Protozoa that causes dysentery / diarrhea and cramps in the stomach. These protozoa are found in the duodenum / duodenum. Transmission is through contaminated food or drink and through hand-to-mouth contact.
