Giardia lamblia is a protist that is commonly known for contaminating water supplies and causing diarrhea. While Giardia is a eukaryote, its cells lack mitochondria. What would be the overall effect on a eukaryotic cell of a lack of mitochondria? How might have Giardia adapted for this potential difficulty?

Giardia lamblia refers to a eukaryotic protist, which is devoid of mitochondria and is accountable for polluting water and causing diarrhea. All the species of this planet are categorized into three prime domains, that is, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. Of these only eukaryotes exhibit well-illustrated nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.

The first step of metabolism, that is, glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm, however, generates less energy, while the rest stages occur in mitochondria, which generate an ample amount of energy. The eukaryotes that are devoid of mitochondria are known as amitochondriate eukaryotes, and these species have to depend upon anaerobic respiration for the production of energy.

As mitochondria are lacking in Giardia, it cannot rely upon aerobic metabolism. Giardia depends on the process of fermentation even if oxygen is accessible in the surroundings for the production of energy. In this manner, Giardia as a eukaryote is amended to follow the fermented and anaerobic pathway to fulfill the demands for energy.