Kingdom Protista: Understanding its Diversity and Impact

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Introduction Protists are not animals, plants, or fungi. They have their very own kingdom called The Kingdom Protista. Protists are a very diverse group. There are over 200,000 of them. They get classified into three main groups, and then get classified further into phyla Protists can be found in everyday surroundings, and they have a big impact on all organisms on Earth.
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All protists are eukaryotes and their DNA is found within the membrane-bound nucleus. They can be unicellular or multicellular. Protists have similar cellular structure to other eukaryotes, however, there are differences in their reproductive methods. Some protists reproduce asexually by mitosis while others exchange genetic material during meiosis. Protists are classified into …show more content…

Protozoans are heterotrophs, usually ingesting bacteria, algae, or other protozoans, which is why they are considered animal-like. Some protozoans are parasites. The animal-like group of protists are ciliates, amoebas, apicomplexans, and zooflagellates.
Plantlike Protists Plantlike protists are called algae. They are plantlike because the make their own food through photosynthesis. Some consume other organisms while others are parasites when light is unavailable for photosynthesis. The groups of plantlike protists include the following: euglenoids, diatoms, dinoflagellates, green algae, red algae, brown algae, yellow-green algae, and golden-brown algae.
Funguslike Protists Funguslike protists are considered funguslike because absorb nutrients from other organisms. Some types of funguslike protists consume other organisms and others are parasites. They are not classified as fungi because they contain small, cylindrical organelles called centrioles. Also, the composition of the cell walls of fungi and funguslike protists are different. The groups of funguslike protists include slime molds, water molds, and downy mildews.
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