{"id":1387,"date":"2017-01-19T00:08:53","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T00:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1387"},"modified":"2024-04-25T18:49:15","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T18:49:15","slug":"primary-producers","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/chapter\/primary-producers\/","title":{"raw":"Primary Producers","rendered":"Primary Producers"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Identify protists that act as primary producers<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1392\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\" wp-image-1392\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1223\/2017\/01\/18235745\/Figure_23_04_01.jpg\" alt=\"This underwater photo shows coral polyps. Polyps are cup-shaped and have tentacles extending from the edge of the cup.\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" \/> Figure 1.\u00a0Coral polyps obtain nutrition through a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nProtists are essential sources of food and provide nutrition for many other organisms. In some cases, as with zooplankton, protists are consumed directly. Alternatively, photosynthetic protists serve as producers of nutrition for other organisms.\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">Paramecium bursaria<\/em>\u00a0and several other species of ciliates are\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">mixotrophic<\/em>\u00a0due to a symbiotic relationship with green algae. This is a temporary version of the secondarily endosymbiotic chloroplast found in\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">Euglena<\/em>. But these symbiotic associations are not restricted to protists. For instance, photosynthetic dinoflagellates called\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">zooxanthellae<\/em>\u00a0provide nutrients for the coral polyps (Figure 1)\u00a0that house them, giving corals a boost of energy to secrete their calcium carbonate skeleton. In turn, the corals provide the protist with a protected environment and the compounds needed for photosynthesis. This type of symbiotic relationship is important in nutrient-poor environments. Without dinoflagellate symbionts, corals lose algal pigments in a process called\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">coral bleaching<\/em>, and they eventually die. This explains why reef-building corals typically do not reside in waters deeper than 20 meters: insufficient light reaches those depths for dinoflagellates to photosynthesize.\r\n<p id=\"fs-idp28960144\">The protists and their products of photosynthesis are essential\u2014directly or indirectly\u2014to the survival of organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals (Figure 2). As primary producers, protists feed a large proportion of the world\u2019s aquatic species. (On land, terrestrial plants serve as primary producers.) In fact, approximately 25 percent of the world\u2019s photosynthesis is conducted by photosynthetic protists, particularly dinoflagellates, diatoms, and multicellular algae.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1393\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"650\"]<img class=\" wp-image-1393\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1223\/2017\/01\/19000656\/sea-animals.jpg\" alt=\"The photo collage shows mollusks, a crab, and, a penguin.\" width=\"650\" height=\"524\" \/> Figure 2. Protists contribute to the food chain. Virtually all aquatic organisms depend directly or indirectly on protists for food.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nProtists do not create food sources only for sea-dwelling organisms. For instance, certain anaerobic parabasalid species exist in the digestive tracts of termites and wood-eating cockroaches, where they contribute an essential step in the digestion of cellulose ingested by these insects as they bore through wood.\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/5a669dec-3c30-40e2-aeed-c28da1db82b8\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Identify protists that act as primary producers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_1392\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1392\" class=\"wp-image-1392\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1223\/2017\/01\/18235745\/Figure_23_04_01.jpg\" alt=\"This underwater photo shows coral polyps. Polyps are cup-shaped and have tentacles extending from the edge of the cup.\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-1392\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 1.\u00a0Coral polyps obtain nutrition through a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Protists are essential sources of food and provide nutrition for many other organisms. In some cases, as with zooplankton, protists are consumed directly. Alternatively, photosynthetic protists serve as producers of nutrition for other organisms.\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">Paramecium bursaria<\/em>\u00a0and several other species of ciliates are\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">mixotrophic<\/em>\u00a0due to a symbiotic relationship with green algae. This is a temporary version of the secondarily endosymbiotic chloroplast found in\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">Euglena<\/em>. But these symbiotic associations are not restricted to protists. For instance, photosynthetic dinoflagellates called\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">zooxanthellae<\/em>\u00a0provide nutrients for the coral polyps (Figure 1)\u00a0that house them, giving corals a boost of energy to secrete their calcium carbonate skeleton. In turn, the corals provide the protist with a protected environment and the compounds needed for photosynthesis. This type of symbiotic relationship is important in nutrient-poor environments. Without dinoflagellate symbionts, corals lose algal pigments in a process called\u00a0<em data-effect=\"italics\">coral bleaching<\/em>, and they eventually die. This explains why reef-building corals typically do not reside in waters deeper than 20 meters: insufficient light reaches those depths for dinoflagellates to photosynthesize.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-idp28960144\">The protists and their products of photosynthesis are essential\u2014directly or indirectly\u2014to the survival of organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals (Figure 2). As primary producers, protists feed a large proportion of the world\u2019s aquatic species. (On land, terrestrial plants serve as primary producers.) In fact, approximately 25 percent of the world\u2019s photosynthesis is conducted by photosynthetic protists, particularly dinoflagellates, diatoms, and multicellular algae.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1393\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1393\" class=\"wp-image-1393\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1223\/2017\/01\/19000656\/sea-animals.jpg\" alt=\"The photo collage shows mollusks, a crab, and, a penguin.\" width=\"650\" height=\"524\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-1393\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 2. Protists contribute to the food chain. Virtually all aquatic organisms depend directly or indirectly on protists for food.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Protists do not create food sources only for sea-dwelling organisms. For instance, certain anaerobic parabasalid species exist in the digestive tracts of termites and wood-eating cockroaches, where they contribute an essential step in the digestion of cellulose ingested by these insects as they bore through wood.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_5a669dec-3c30-40e2-aeed-c28da1db82b8\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/5a669dec-3c30-40e2-aeed-c28da1db82b8?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_5a669dec-3c30-40e2-aeed-c28da1db82b8\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1387\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Biology 2e. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: OpenStax. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/185cbf87-c72e-48f5-b51e-f14f21b5eabd@10.8\">http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/185cbf87-c72e-48f5-b51e-f14f21b5eabd@10.8<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Access for free at https:\/\/openstax.org\/books\/biology-2e\/pages\/1-introduction<\/li><li>Penguin. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Simon Law. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/cymVv\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/cymVv<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Endangered clubshell mussel (Pleurobema clava). <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: USFWS Endangered Species. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/8Lzymi\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/8Lzymi<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Monkey food. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Saskia Bosch van Rosenthal. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/8FcS6p\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/8FcS6p<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":17,"menu_order":14,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Biology 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Rosenthal\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/8FcS6p\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"1fc529e4-f530-43c9-a3ac-bdcddedfbefb, 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