Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, Vol. 14: Protozoa to
Gastrotricha/edited by Zia Uddin Ahmed. Dhaka, Asiatic Society of
Bangladesh, 2008, xxviii, 336 p., 421 b & w figs., 42 colour plates,
ISBN
984-300-000286-0.
Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, Vol. 14: Protozoa to
Gastrotricha/edited by Zia Uddin Ahmed. Dhaka, Asiatic Society of
Bangladesh, 2008, xxviii, 336 p., 421 b & w figs., 42 colour plates,
ISBN
984-300-000286-0.
From the Introduction: "Many unicellular organisms previously classified as protozoans, algae or fungi are now grouped into the kingdom - protista (Gr. Protistos = first of all). The protistans include the unicellular, colonial and multicellular eukaryotes that do not have distinctive characters of the plants, animals or fungi. In the unicellular colonial forms, all the cells are similar with similar generalized functions, whereas in the truly multicellular species, the body of the organism consists of a variety of types of cells, each with its own specialized functions. All these organisms are eukaryotes and have a true nucleus (Whittaker, 1969). All are aerobic and have mitochondria to do the cellular respiration and some have chloroplasts for photosynthesis. Most of them reproduce or grow by mitosis. Some reproduce by meiosis, conjugation and fertilization. Many can form spores or cysts. Most protista are aquatic in habitat, either freshwater or marine.
Protists are grouped into three major categories, usually based on their mode of nutrition. These are protozoa, algae and the fungus-like protists. Some biologists designate these categorise as "Division", others as "Phylum" or "sub-kingdom" (Hickman et al., 2001).
The animal-like protistans now form the subkingdom Protozoa (Levine et al., 1980). These protists ingest their food by phagocytosis. Some have mouth-like structures into which the food is put, while others use pseudopodia to move and engulf the prey. Typically the food materials or preys include the bacteria and other minute one-celled organisms. Protists are a major component of plankton and are important in the food chain in aquatic ecosystems."
Contents: Protozoa: 1. Introduction. 2. Sub-kingdom protozoa. 3. Phylum sarcomastigophora. 4. Subphylum mastigophora. 5. Class phytomastigophorea. 6. Subphylum Sarcodina. 7. Superclass Rhizopoda. 8. Phylum Microspora. 9. Phylum Apicomplexa. 10. Class Perkinsea. 11. Class Sporozoa. 12. Subclass Coccidia. 13. Subclass Piroplasmia. 14. Subclass Gregarinia. 15. Phylum Ciliophora. 16. Class Kinetophragminophorea. 17. Class Polymenophorea. 18. Class Oligohymenophorea. Porifera: Phylum porifera: i. Class Calcarea. ii. Class hexactinellida. iii. Class Demospongiae. Cnidaria: Phylum Cnidaria: i. Class Hydrozoa. ii. Class Scyphozoa. iii. Class Anthozoa. iv. Subclass Zoantharia. Ctenophora: 1. Phylum Ctenophora: Class NUDA. Rotifera: Phylum Rotifera: i. Class Seisonidea. ii. Class Bdelloidea. iii. Class Monogononta. Gastrotricha: Phylum Gastrotricha. i. Class Macrodasyoida. ii. Class Chaetonotoida. Glossary. References. Index.
"The Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh is the first illustrated compendium of all the life forms so far identified in Bangladesh. In 28 volumes it makes an exhaustive inventory of the whole range of plant and animal species in the country. While focusing mainly on the description, habits and habitats of the various species, comments are also made on their economic and ecological significance. Published both in Bangla and English the encyclopedia should be useful to those working for biodiversity conservation, teachers and students of the natural sciences, as well as general readers.
The encyclopedia is compiled and edited by a team of experts, with contributions from the leading scientists and researchers of the country, making it an authoritative reference work. It is another pioneering publication of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, following the Banglapedia - the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh." (jacket)