Amoebozoa Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Amoebozoa Temporal range: 1000–0Ma Had'n Archean Proterozoic Pha.

Chaos carolinensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
(unranked):	Unikonta
Phylum:	Amoebozoa Lühe, 1913 emend. Cavalier-Smith, 1998
Subphyla, infraphyla and classes
Lobosa Discosea Centramoebia Flabellinia Tubulinea Corycidia Echinamoebia Elardia Evosida Cutosa Cutosea Conosa Archamoebae Archamoebea Semiconosa Variosea (paraphyletic) Dictyostelea Ceratiomyxomycetes Myxomycetes
Synonyms
Eumycetozoa Zopf 1884, emend Olive 1975

The Amoebozoa are a group of tiny living things, mostly like amoebas. They are a type of eukaryote, which means their cells have a nucleus. Most Amoebozoa move by pushing their insides (called cytoplasm) around. This creates finger-like extensions called pseudopods, which help them crawl and grab things.

There are about 2,400 known kinds of Amoebozoa. Scientists often place them in a large group called Protista or Protozoa. Some scientists also call them a "supergroup" within the Eukaryota.

What are Amoebozoa?
Where do Amoebozoa live?
How do Amoebozoa get food?
Movement and Features
Images for kids
See also

What are Amoebozoa?

Scientists use DNA studies to understand how living things are related. These studies show that Amoebozoa form a single group, meaning they all came from a common ancestor. They are closely related to another big group called Opisthokonta. This group includes fungi and animals, plus many tiny single-celled organisms.

Sometimes, Amoebozoa and Opisthokonta are put together in an even bigger group. This group has different names like Unikonta.

Where do Amoebozoa live?

Amoebozoa include many well-known amoeba-like organisms. Some examples are Chaos, Entamoeba, Pelomyxa, and the famous Amoeba itself.

Most Amoebozoa are made of only one cell. They are common in soil and in water habitats. Some live inside other organisms, sometimes causing diseases. The Amoebozoa group also includes slime moulds. These are special kinds that can be seen without a microscope. They can have many nuclei in one cell or form many cells together. Slime moulds also make spores.

How do Amoebozoa get food?

Amoebozoa usually eat by a process called phagocytosis. This is when the cell surrounds food particles. It then pulls them inside into small sacs called vacuoles. Inside these sacs, the food is digested and used by the cell.

When there isn't much food, most Amoebozoa can form cysts. These are tough, protective coverings that help them survive. Cysts can be carried by the wind to new places. In slime moulds, these protective structures are called spores. They grow on stalk-like parts called fruiting bodies or sporangia.

Movement and Features

Most Amoebozoa do not have flagella. Flagella are tiny, whip-like tails that help some cells move. Amoebozoa also usually don't have other structures supported by microtubules, except when their cells divide (called mitosis).

However, some types of Amoebozoa, called archamoebae, do have flagella. Also, many slime moulds produce gametes (special cells for reproduction) that have two flagella. A well-known example of an Amoebozoa is the Dictyostelium discoideum. Scientists often study this organism to learn more about cells.