The key difference between Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora is that the members of Phytomastigophora contain chloroplasts in their cytoplasm while the members of Zoomastigophora do not contain chloroplast in their cytoplasm.
Mastigophora is a subphylum of Kingdom Protista. They are single-celled eukaryotes which are protozoans. They may form colonies or exist as single cells and can be free-living organisms or parasites. They can be found in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Furthermore, there are two classes of Mastigophora as Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora. Of these two, Phytomastigophora includes photosynthetic or plant-like flagellated organisms. But, Zoomastigophora includes animal-like single-celled organisms that have whip-like flagella. Also, they do not contain chloroplasts; hence, they are not photosynthetic.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Phytomastigophora
3. What is Zoomastigophora
4. Similarities Between Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora
5. Side by Side Comparison – Phytomastigophora vs Zoomastigophora in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Phytomastigophora?
Phytomastigophora is one of the two classes of subphylum Mastogophora. This group includes flagellated plant-like microscopic single-celled organisms which have chloroplasts and are photosynthetic. However, there are species depending on dead organic matter in their surroundings when sunlight is not available. Therefore, they are both photoautotrophs and heterotrophs.
Figure 01: Phytomastigophora – Volvox
Moreover, they have transverse and longitudinal flagella that allow them to swim in the water. These organisms are found in aquatic environments, especially in oceans. Many of the members of this group are algae, and some examples are Volvox, Euglena, Chlamydomonas, Peranema and dinoflagellates.
What is Zoomastigophora?
Zoomastigophora is the second taxonomic group of subphylum Mastigophora. This group is characterized by the presence of whip-like flagella in members for locomotion. Therefore, they are also referred to as zooflagellates. Moreover, these organisms are colourless. Also, they are heterotrophic single-celled organisms (protozoans). They are eukaryotes and have a central nucleus. These organisms do not have chloroplasts in their cytoplasm. Hence, they cannot photosynthesize. Furthermore, they do not possess a cell wall.
Figure 02: Zoomastigophora – Giardia
Besides, there are species which form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Therefore, some species of this class are parasitic. They cause gastric dilation by invading the gastric epithelium. Moreover, some species cause diseases such as sleeping sickness (caused by the zooflagellate Trypanosoma brucei) and giardiasis (caused by Giardia lamblia). Some examples of Zoomastigophora are Trypanosoma, Trichomonas, Mastigamoeba, Leishmania and Giardia.
What are the Similarities Between Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora?
- Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora are two taxonomic groups of Mastigophora.
- They are single-celled organisms.
- They are flagellated organisms and are motile.
- Moreover, they are found in terrestrial and aquatic environments.
- They are heterotrophs.
- Most organisms show spherical morphology.
What is the Difference Between Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora?
Phytomastigophora is a class of Mastigophora that comprises plant-like single-celled flagellates while Zoomastigophora is a class of Mastigophora that comprises animal-like single-celled flagellates. So, this is the key difference between Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora. Moreover, phytomastigophora species contain chloroplasts and are photosynthetic while Zoomastigophora species do not contain chloroplasts and are non-photosynthetic.
The below infographic lists the differences between Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora in tabular form.
Summary – Phytomastigophora vs Zoomastigophora
Mastigophora is a subphylum of Kingdom Protista. This includes single-celled eukaryotic organisms which are flagellates. Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora are two classes of Mastigophora. Phytomastigophora contains photosynthetic plant-like single-celled flagellates while Zoomastigophora contains non-photosynthetic animal-like single-celled flagellates. Moreover, Zoomastigophora members do not contain chloroplasts in their cytoplasm. Thus, this summarizes the difference between Phytomastigophora and Zoomastigophora.
Reference:
1. “Mastigophora – Definition, Classification and Characteristics.” MicroscopeMaster, Available here.
2. “Examples of Protozoa: Zoology.” Zoology Notes, 11 Jan. 2017, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Mikrofoto.de-volvox-4” By Frank Fox – (CC BY-SA 3.0 de) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Giardia lamblia, protozoan, parasite, lamblia, organism” (CC0) via Pixino