You protozoa are beings single-celled, eukaryotes, belonging to the Protist Kingdom and found in the most varied types of environments. There are kinds of protozoa which are parasites and cause diseases in human beings, such as Chagas disease, leishmaniasis etc. Others protozoa establish a relationship of mutualism with other organisms, such as the protozoan like Trichonympha, which lives in the intestine of termites, aiding in the digestion of cellulose.
THE asexual reproduction From protozoa it can occur in two ways:
● binary division→ also called by some authors of splitting, a binary division it is the type of asexual reproduction in which a cell divides in half giving rise to two identical cells. It occurs in protozoa of the phylum Sarcodina, phylum Cilliophora, phylum Zoomastigophora, and phylum Apicomplexa.
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● multiple division→ in this type of asexual reproduction, the nucleus of a cell multiplies several times, giving rise to several daughter cells.
Many authors do not consider the conjugation performed by some protozoa like sexual reproduction because this process does not result in an increase in individuals, while others consider this process to be a type of sexual reproduction because there is an exchange of genetic material. Discussions aside, let's get down to business.
THE conjugation it is a process that consists of the partial union of two individuals that pair up and through a cytoplasmic bridge exchange genetic material. After the exchange, these individuals, who have new genetic combinations, separate and divide by binary division. This process occurs in ciliated protozoa.
By Paula Louredo
Graduated in Biology
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
MORAES, Paula Louredo. "Reproduction in protozoa"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biologia/reproducao-nos-protozoarios.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
