Alveolata

Alveolata is a major eukaryotic lineage whose members have flattened membrane-bound sacs, called alveoli, beneath the cell surface. It includes ciliates, dinoflagellates, and apicomplexans.

Cortical alveoli: Flattened membrane-bound sacs beneath the plasma membrane in alveolate cells. These sacs give Alveolata its name and are its defining cellular feature.
Cilia: Hairlike cellular projections that move fluid or propel cells using microtubules. Cilia are prominent in many alveolates, especially ciliates.
Thomas Cavalier-Smith: A British evolutionary biologist known for influential classifications of eukaryotes. He proposed the Alveolata grouping based on shared cellular features.
Malaria: A mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. Plasmodium is an apicomplexan alveolate, linking the lineage to a major human disease.
Ciliophora: A diverse alveolate group whose members typically use cilia for movement or feeding. Ciliates are one of Alveolata's three principal branches.
Flagellum: A long cellular appendage that propels a cell or moves fluid. Flagella power movement in many dinoflagellates and other alveolates.
Chromalveolata: A proposed eukaryotic supergroup combining alveolates with several lineages bearing red-algal-derived plastids. Its broader grouping depended on an evolutionary hypothesis later challenged by phylogenomic evidence.
Toxoplasmosis: A disease caused by infection with the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Its causative parasite is an alveolate with medical and veterinary importance.
Dinoflagellata: A group of mostly aquatic alveolates, many with two distinctive flagella. Dinoflagellates form a major branch alongside ciliates and apicomplexans.
Plastid: A membrane-bound organelle, including chloroplasts, that performs specialized functions in eukaryotic cells. Some alveolates retain photosynthetic plastids, while others have reduced plastid descendants.

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