Protists O’Connor

Protists organisms, comprising those eukaryotes that cannot be classified in any of the other kingdoms as fungi, animals, or plants. they are unicellular or they are multicellular without highly specialized tissues.

How do they “eat”? Protists obtain nutrients & digest nutrients in a complex acquirement & assimilation system. Most protists also feed on bacteria. Protists acquire their food material through internal digestion. They extend their cell wall & cell membrane around the food material to form a food vacuole via endocytosis.

Protozoa animal-like protists mostly single-celled, motile protists that feed by phagocytosis, though there are numerous exceptions. generally too small to be seen without magnification.

Some protists are heterotrophs Some protists are autotrophs Some get nutrients by decomposing organic matter

Protozoa are grouped by method of locomotion into Flagellates with long flagella e.g., Euglena Amoeboids with transient pseudopodia e.g., Amoeba Ciliates with multiple, short cilia e.g., aramecium Sporozoanon mobile parasites; some can form spores e.g., Toxoplasma

Algae, the plant-like protists include many single-celled organisms that are also considered protozoa, such as Euglena which many believe have acquired chloroplasts through secondary endosymbiosis Others are non-motile, and some (called seaweeds) are truly multicellular

Chlorophytes- green algae, are related to higher plants –e.g., Ulva Rhodophytes- red algae –e.g., Porphyra Heterokontophytes- brown algae, diatoms, etc. –e.g., Macrocystis

Molds Slime molds, water molds & downy mildews are fungus like protists that decompose organic material to obtain nutrients. Plasmodial and cellular slime molds change in appearance and behavior before producing reproductive structures

Slime Mold

Water Mold

Downy Mildew