Name(s) _____________________________________________________ Date _________________ Period ________
Protist Observation Lab
Background Information: Kingdom Protista is often referred to as the “Junk Drawer
Kingdom” simply because it includes a wide variety of eukaryotic organisms that do
not fit into other Kingdoms. Many protists are unicellular, but some protists are
multicellular. Some protists are heterotrophic, some are autotrophic, and some are
both! Most live in water, but some can be found in in most soil or even the human
body. As you can see, there are many characteristics of protists…the only thing they
ALL have in common is the fact that they are EUKARYOTIC organisms.
Protists are classified based on two factors: how they obtain nutrition and how they move. These classification factors lead
to three protist categories:
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Animal Like Protists (“Protozoans” or “First Animals) – Heterotrophs
Plant Like Protists (“Algae”) – Autotrophs
Fungus Like Protists – Decomposers
Objective: Today you will be observing two animal like protists (Amoeba and Paramecium) and one plant like protist
(euglena). The purpose of this lab is to help you gain experience with microscope viewing techniques, to observe living
protists, and to compare structure and activity of three different groups of protists.
PRE LAB: Use the laptops to watch the following YouTube videos of each protist you will observe in today’s lab. This will
help you know what you are looking for when you attempt to find the living specimens in the microscope!
1. Go to the blog, click on the “Euglena” video link. Describe the general color, structure and movement of Euglena.
2. Click on the “Amoeba” video link. What is taking place in this video? Describe the general color, structure and
movement of an Amoeba.
3. Click on the “Paramecium” video link. Describe the general color, structure and movement of the Paramecium.
Lab Directions:
To view a living protist, you will first need to prepare a microscope slide. Follow these directions for EACH protist sample.
 Use the pipette found in the protist container to obtain a small amount of liquid.
 Place ONE drop on your slide.
 Cover the droplet of water on your slide with a plastic coverslip.
 View the specimen sample, beginning on low power.
 You may need to experiment with the diaphragm (controls light) and the focus adjustment knobs.
 Draw and answer the questions for the appropriate protist.
EUGLENA
4. Draw the euglena on MEDIUM (100x) and HIGH (400x) power. On your high power drawing, label the following
structures: nucleus, chloroplast, eyespot, and flagella.
Medium - 100x
High - 400x
5. Euglena is a plant like protist. In what ways is this interesting organism similar to plants?
6. Describe the movement of your euglena specimen.
AMOEBA
7. Draw an amoeba on MEDIUM (100x) and HIGH (400x) power. On your high power drawing, label the following
structures: nucleus, pseudopod, cytoplasm, and vacuole (if visible).
Medium - 100x
8. What does “pseudopod” mean? What is the function of this structure?
High - 400x
9. An amoeba is a “protozoan” – meaning it is an example of an __________________________ like protist.
10. Describe the movement of a living amoeba.
PARAMECIUM
11. Draw a paramecium on MEDIUM (100x) and HIGH (400x) power. On your high power drawing, label the following
structures: macronucleus, micronucleus (if visible), cilia, oral groove, and contractile vacuole (if visible).
Medium - 100x
High - 400x
12. A paramecium is an example of an animal like protist. In what ways is this organism similar to animals?
13. Describe the movement of a living paramecium.
Analysis Questions:
14. The endosymbiotic theory explains the origin of ( prokaryotic / eukaryotic ) organisms.
15. Summarize the endosymbiotic theory.
16. Why is “Junk Drawer Kingdom” an appropriate nickname for Kingdom Protista?
17. Identify the function of contractile vacuoles, a structure found in many protists.
18. To what domain does Kingdom Protista belong?
19. What are the characteristics of protists?
20. Today you observed two animal like protists and a plant like protist. Give an example of a fungus like protist. In
what ways are fungus like protists similar to fungi?