Question

Yes or no and why ? 1. Many different types of protists will be present in a sample from a single source..

Provide an example scenario in which the sampling protists would be used in the study of an environmental science issue?

Identify sources of error during the location and identification of the protists.

Answer 1

Answe

Many different types of protists will be present in a sample from a single source..

• Yes a single source can contain many different types of protists. Protists are usually found in moist or wet surroundings and can be sampled from different sources like ponds, drains, marshy areas, soil, freshwater etc. Protist is a diverse taxa (more than 100,000 living species) and every sample usually contains different population of protists.

Provide an example scenario in which the sampling protists would be used in the study of an environmental science issue?

• Plasmodium falciparum - the causative agent of malaria is a protist parasite.
• Environmental factors such as temperature, cleanliness, water stagnation, locality etc. are crucial in determining the risk of getting malaria. Environmental factors like poor sanitation and hygiene, inadequate quality of drinking water etc. can also cause diarrhea caused by intestinal protozoa.
• In such cases, sampling protozoan species is useful. For example blood samples can be tested for the presence of malarial parasites. Early detection of malarial parasites is important for prompt and appropriate treatment.
• Cryptosporidium is a protist that can cause respiratory and gastrointestinal illness and is a potential contaminant of drinking water. Sampling of water samples to determine the levels of Cryptosporidium are used to assess the quality and safety of water.

Identify sources of error during the location and identification of the protists.

• Source of error during the location and identification of the protists could be:
  • Problems associated with accurate identification of morphotypes by microscopy.
  • Improper dilution of sample used for testing.
  • Cross contamination issues