Plant-like Protists.

Plant-like protists are known as algae (Figure below). They are a large and diverse group. ... Most plant-like
protists live in oceans, ponds, or lakes. Protists can be unicellular (single-celled) or multicellular (many-celled).

( -They are producers and consumers.

-They mostly use photosynthesis, but some eat other protists or absorb nutrients for food

-Algae is multicelled and singlecelled, but the singlecelled type can’t be seen without a microscope.

- There are 3 main types of algae: red, brown and green )

I. Plantlike Protists

A. Types

1. Red Algae (Rhodophyta)

Rhodophyta are a sub-group of algae, the red algae. Even though they are called 'red algae', not all
species are necessarily red. Their pigmentation can vary depending on where they are living. Rhodophytes
in deeper waters are typically a dark red, almost black color, while those in medium depths are bright
red.

a. Group containing most of the world’s seaweeds

b. Have chlorophyll and a red pigment that gives them their color

(Red algae are red because of the presence of the pigment phycoerythrin; this pigment reflects red light and
absorbs blue light. ... Some rhodophytes have very little phycoerythrin, and may appear green or bluish from the
chlorophyll and other pigments present in them.)

c. Multicellular

d. Live in marine waters and attach to rocks or another algae

( This prevents them from being eaten and gives them strength and support. These algae make
an important contribution to the growth of coral reefs. Some species of red algae can grow in a thin mat over rocks
and other hard structures, and are called crustose when growing in this form. ) (algae play a variety
of important roles in many marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs.)

e. They can grow in deeper water because the red pigment lets them absorb sunlight at a deeper depth

(Most varieties of algae live near the surface of the water in order to get enough sunlight to live. Since they can
absorb blue light, red algae can live in much deeperwater where light of long wavelengths -- like red -- can't
reach. Red algae have been found living in depths of over 500 feet.)

f. Can grow up to 260 meters underwater

g. Grow to about a maximum of 1 meter

2. Brown Algae (Phaeophyceae)

The Phaeophyceae or brown algae (singular: alga), are a large group of mostly marine multicellular
algae, including many seaweeds located in colder Northern Hemisphere waters. They play an important
role in marine environments, both as food and as habitats.

(They have Phytoplankton that is a tiny microscopic plants that produce earth’s oxygen. Algae are also very
important ecologically because they are the beginning of the food chain for other animals.)

a. The algae that live in colder climates are mostly brown algae

b. They attach to rocks or form big floating beds in the ocean

(If you see algae beginning to grow on the glass, rocks, or other hard surfaces of the tank, remove it)

c. Have chlorophyll and yellowish- brownish pigment

(Most brown algae contain the pigment fucoxanthin, which is responsible for the distinctive greenish-brown color that
gives them their name.)

d. Are very large and can grow up to 60 meters in one season

e. Since only the top gets sunlight, they make food (chlorophyll) and send it to the roots

3. Green Algae (Chlorophyta)

a. They are green because the chlorophyll is the main pigment they have

b. Live in water and moist soil, but can be found in melting snow and inside other organisms.

c. Some are singlecellular and some are multicellular

(Green algae can be either unicellular or multicellular. They live mostly in fresh water, but some can live on land in
moist soils. A few green algae are found in marine environments. These organisms often live symbiotically with
aquatic and marine animals.) (Most green algae are single-celled and microscopic (able to be seen only under a
microscope), forming the slimy green scum found in stagnant ponds. Others are larger and more complex, forming
spherical (round) colonies composed of many cells or occurring as straight or branched filaments (long, thin series of
cells). )

d. Multicelled grows up to 8 meters

e. Some singlecelled live in colonies

4. Diatoms

A diatom is a photosynthetic, single celled organism which means they manufacture their own food in the
same way plants do. They are a major group of algae and form one of the most common forms of
phytoplankton and join the myriad of organisms that drift on currents in the upper layers of the ocean and
lakes.

(Diatoms use the pigments chlorophyll a and c to collect energy from the sun through photosynthesis. ... It is
estimated that the photosynthetic activity of diatoms produces between 20 and 40% of the earth's oxygen (0 2).)

a. Singlecellular
b. Live in salt and fresh water and sometimes hold on to plants, shellfish, sea turtles, and whales

c. Use photosynthesis

d. Are a large portion of phytoplankton

e. Cell walls have silica and cellulose

f. The cells are inside a shell that fits together almost perfectly

g. Piles of these shells over millions of years form a substance that is in toothpaste, silver polish, filters,
insulation, and more.

5. Dinoflagellates

The main ecological significance of dinoflagellates lies elsewhere, though. They are second only to
diatoms as marine primary producers. As phagotrophic organisms they are also important components of
the microbial loop in the oceans and help channel significant amounts of energy into planktonic food webs.

a. Most are single cell

b. Live mostly in salt water, but some are found in fresh water and snow.

c. Have 2 flagella that make the protists spin

d. Most use photosynthesis, but some get food as consumers, decomposers, or parasites

e. They are sometimes red and produce a strong poison

f. When they produce very fast, they cause red tide, where the water turns red and the shellfish eat the
algae, making the shellfish poisonous to all vertebrates.

6. Euglenoids

a. Single cell

b. Live mostly in fresh water

c. Have plant and animal characteristics

(The species Euglena gracilis has been used extensively in the laboratory as a model organism. Most species of
Euglena have photosynthesizing chloroplasts within the body of the cell, which enable them to feed by autotrophy,
like plants. However, they can also take nourishment heterotrophically, like animals.)

d. Use photosynthesis, but when there’s not enough light, they are consumers

e. Some don’t use photosynthesis at all because they don’t have chloroplast. Instead, they just eat other
protists or take in nutrients

f. Move by using flagella to push them through the water

(Euglena move by a flagellum (plural ‚ flagella), which is a long whip-like structure that acts like a little motor. The
flagellum is located on the anterior (front) end, and twirls in such a way as to pull the cell through the water. It is
attached at an inward pocket called the reservoir.)
why plant like is not plant?

because they do not have the distinct organization of higher plants such as leaves and vascular tissue. All algae are
eukaryotic organisms.
RED ALGAE