Protista Essay

Some evolutionary biologists believe that since viruses are not alive, they are unimportant when considering evolution; this view places viruses in a category of merely secondary influencers of evolution. However, genetic information is directly exchanged with living organisms within the web of life. Also, virus genomes can permanently colonize their hosts, leading researchers to conclude that the cell nucleus itself originates from viruses. Prokaryotic cells did not merely gradually adapt until they formed a nucleus and became eukaryotic cells. Instead, the nucleus could have come from a persistent, large DNA virus that, within prokaryotes, made a permanent home. In conclusion, although viruses may not be technically defined as alive, they provide a link and form the boundary between biochemistry and biology, and are an integral component within the study of life.

The argument on whether viruses are considered living or dead has been debated in science for years. While this topic has been extensively researched, a conclusion has yet to be reached. However, from my own research, I concluded that viruses are non-living. To better understand this topic, I will discuss cell theory, the differences between a prokaryote and a eukaryote cell, and the structures and functions of a nucleus and cell wall organelles.

Microbes are necessary for life to exist. "Without microbes, decomposition cannot take place" (Chivukula, 2015). Photosynthesis and decomposition are vital to the ecosystem to ensure that life can exist, and both use microbial activity to provide energy and nutrients. Photosynthesis must take place to convert light into chemical energy for organic material. Decomposition uses microbial activity to breakdown

Viruses are coated genetic material that invade cells and use the cell's apparatus for reproduction.

A virus is a small capsule that contains DNA or RNA, viruses, unlike bacteria are not self sufficient and need a host in

Viruses - are extremely small particles made from protein and either DNA or RNA. They are not made up of cells instead they invade the living cells of other organisms and use them to produce many copies of

They are known as a diverse group of unicellular eukaryotic organisms. They are also defined as a single celled organism with animal like behaviour. Protozoa are microscopic cells that range from a size from 10 to 52 micrometers. Some protozoa are larger than most. For example the xenophyophores are around 20 centimetres in diameter. Free living forms are restricted to moist environments, such as soil, mosses and aquatic habitats. Many protozoa are symbionts.

Viruses are microscopic organisms that can only replicate inside cells of the host organism. Viruses for the most part are so small you would have to use a conventional optical microscope. Viruses can infect any and all types of organisms, such as animals (to include Humans), plants and even bacteria as well as archaea (archaea constitutes a domain or kingdom of single-celled microorganisms). There are millions of different types of viruses. With viruses being believed to be the most abundant type of biological entity, they can be virtually found in every ecosystem on the planet.

The purpose of this study is to identify four unknown organisms. The unknown organisms have been assigned randomly to six-research groups by Professor Hoffman. Each research group was provided two eukaryotes and two prokaryotes. The unknown organisms will fall into the following classifications: bacteria, algae, fungi, or protozoans. All living organisms are organized into one of three domains of life, Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

After looking at many articles I believe that viruses are not alive. Even though in the beginning I believed they were. For an object to be alive it needs to have certain characteristics such as being able to: grow, develop, have a purpose, reproduce, adapt, and have cells. A living thing could reproduce which means they would make offspring. Viruses don't have the ability to grow and develop on their own. Viruses don’t have the ability to reproduce on their own without the help of a keeper

A virus is a capsule containing genetic material, even smaller than bacteria. The main task of virus is to reproduce. However, viruses need a suitable host to

Proteus vulgaris was discovered to be the unknown organism after several tests were concluded. First, a gram stain was done to determine if the unknown was gram negative or gram positive. It turned out to be a gram negative organism, so further tests were ordered based on this fact. The tests included were a OF glucose test, a Citrate test, a SIM test, and also a Urease test. The OF glucose test came out positive for a strict fermenter because both tubes turned yellow. The Citrate test came out negative because there was no color change identified. The SIM test showed positive for Sulfur, Indole, and motility. The black precipitate that formed shows the production of H2S and the red color after the Kovács reagent was added indicates Indole

Viruses are in fact not alive. As the author in Are Viruses Alive states " They {viruses} have a certain potential, which can be snuffed out, but they do not attain the more autonomous state of life". Though they do have the 6 out of 7 characteristics I feel that they still do not qualify as a living organism because they carry on no independent metabolic or respiratory functions and cannot "live" until inserted into a host cell to begin their biological activities. Also they consist of a protein coat which contains either DNA or RNA. They are not made of cells. They have no cellular structures. They do not obtain homeostasis or evolve. Finally the genetic material of a viruses has to combine with a living cell to reproduce its like having

It is true that Protists have specialized organelles that cannot be found in other eukaryotic cells. According to OpenStax (2015), most protists are unicellular microscopic organisms that can be found in the soil, freshwater, and marine environments. It is all about the environment for some eukaryotes. For instance, there is a general concept that eukaryotes have a mitochondrion which serves as the powerhouse of the cell. However, when the environment in which the eukaryote is located lack sufficient oxygen, they also lack mitochondria and instead enclose an alternative form of an organelle called a hydrogenosome (Embley et al., 2003). This organelle is present in Trichomonas Vaginalis, a primitive protist (Johnson, Lahti & Bradley, 1993).

Scientists can see what organisms are in certain environments and which ones a microbe interacts with. Identifying the necessary microbes and organisms can allow farmers to “foster plant-protecting microbes” elsewhere. Farmers would be able to use the microbe with its necessary organisms for their plants rather than trying to isolate the microbe which would die or would not be useful without its counterparts. In other words, by identifying the necessary organisms for certain microbes, scientists can create a blend that farmers could