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Euglenozoa
 
 
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The Euglenozoa are a large group of flagellate
Flagellate

Flagellates are cell s with one or more whip-like organelles called flagellum. Some cells in animals may be flagellate, for instance the spermatozoa of most phyla....
 protozoa. They include a variety of common free-living species, as well as a few important parasites, some of which infect humans. There are two main subgroups, the euglenid
Euglenid

The euglenids are one of the best-known groups of flagellates, commonly found in freshwater especially when it is rich in organic materials, with a few marine and endosymbiotic members....
s and kinetoplastid
Kinetoplastid

The kinetoplastids are a group of flagellate protozoa, including a number of parasites responsible for serious diseases in humans and other animals, as well as various forms found in soil and aquatic environments....
s. Euglenozoa are unicellular, mostly around 15-40 µm
1 E-5 m

To help compare different orders of magnitude, this page lists lengths between 10−5 metre and 10−4 m .1 E-6 m...
 in size, although some euglenids get up to 500 µm long.

Most euglenozoa have two flagella, which are inserted parallel to one another in an apical or subapical pocket.






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The Euglenozoa are a large group of flagellate
Flagellate

Flagellates are cell s with one or more whip-like organelles called flagellum. Some cells in animals may be flagellate, for instance the spermatozoa of most phyla....
 protozoa. They include a variety of common free-living species, as well as a few important parasites, some of which infect humans. There are two main subgroups, the euglenid
Euglenid

The euglenids are one of the best-known groups of flagellates, commonly found in freshwater especially when it is rich in organic materials, with a few marine and endosymbiotic members....
s and kinetoplastid
Kinetoplastid

The kinetoplastids are a group of flagellate protozoa, including a number of parasites responsible for serious diseases in humans and other animals, as well as various forms found in soil and aquatic environments....
s. Euglenozoa are unicellular, mostly around 15-40 µm
1 E-5 m

To help compare different orders of magnitude, this page lists lengths between 10−5 metre and 10−4 m .1 E-6 m...
 in size, although some euglenids get up to 500 µm long.

Most euglenozoa have two flagella, which are inserted parallel to one another in an apical or subapical pocket. In some these are associated with a cytostome
Cytostome

A cytostome or cell mouth is a part of a cell specialized for phagocytosis, usually in the form of a microtubule-supported funnel or groove. Food is directed into the cytostome, and sealed into vacuoles....
 or mouth, used to ingest bacteria
Bacteria

The Bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals....
 or other small organisms. This is supported by one of three sets of microtubule
Microtubule

Microtubules are one of the components of the cytoskeleton. They have a diameter of 25 Nanometre and length varying from 200 nanometers to 25 micrometers....
s that arise from the flagellar bases; the other two support the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the cell.

Some other euglenozoa feed through the absorption, and many euglenids possess chloroplast
Chloroplast

Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryote organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve Thermodynamic free energy in the form of Adenosine triphosphate and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis....
s and so obtain energy through photosynthesis
Photosynthesis

File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpgPhotosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight....
. These chloroplasts are surrounded by three membranes and contain chlorophyll
Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from Greek language: ?????? and f????? ....
s a and b, along with other pigments, so are probably derived from a captured green alga. Reproduction occurs exclusively through cell division. During mitosis
Mitosis

Mitosis is the process in which a eukaryotic cell separates the chromosomes in its cell nucleus, into two identical sets in two daughter nuclei....
, the nuclear membrane remains intact, and the spindle microtubules form inside of it.

The group is characterized by the ultrastructure of the flagella. In addition to the normal supporting microtubules or axoneme
Axoneme

Numerous eukaryotic Cell carry whip-like appendages whose inner core consists of a cytoskeleton structure called the axoneme.The axoneme serves as the "skeleton" of these organelles, both giving support to the structure and, in some cases, causing it to bend....
, each contains a rod (called paraxonemal), which has a tubular structure in one flagellum and a latticed structure in the other. Based on this, two smaller groups have been included here: the diplonemids and Postgaardi
Postgaardi

Postgaardi is a genus of alga comprising one species....
.

The euglenozoa are generally accepted as monophyletic. They are related to Percolozoa
Percolozoa

The Percolozoa are a group of colourless protozoa, including many that can transform between amoeboid, flagellate, and encysted stages. These are collectively referred to as schizopyrenids, amoeboflagellates, or vahlkampfids....
; the two share mitochondria with disc-shaped cristae, which only occurs in a few other groups. Both probably belong to a larger group of eukaryotes called the excavate
Excavate

The excavates are a major assemblage of protists, often known as Excavata. The phylogenetic category Excavata contains a variety of free-living and symbiotic forms, and includes some important parasites of humans....
s.

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