PROTISTS (Protista)

General Characteristics
● Eukaryotic
● Most are unicellular (exception: algae)
● Most reproduce asexually & sometimes sexually
● Grouped based on nutrition

Characteristics Animal-like Protists Plant-Like Protists Fungi-Like Protists

pg. 72 - 74 pg. 76-77 pg. 75

They are Animal-like protists because They are plant-like because they make They are fungus-like because they absorb
they consume other organisms for their own food by photosynthesis . nutrients from other organisms, living or dead.
General Fungus-like protists also produce spores when
food, and they are heterotrophs, and Plant-like protists are associated with
Characteristics they reproduce.
are capable of moving. plants due to their ability to convert
(Why are they in
solar energy to chemical energy.
this group?)

Animals-like Amoebas and Plant-like Plant-like protists may exhibit both The members of this group are heterotrophs,
Euglena reproduce asexually( sexual and asexual types of but instead of ingesting other organisms, they
Mitosis). To produce sexually, it reproduction. Asexual reproduction absorb nutrients from living organisms, dead
requires 2 parents. includes binary fission, fragmentation, organisms, and wastes. They also have cell
Typically protists reproduce asexually, and the production of asexual spores. walls and reproduce by forming spores, just
though some are capable of sexual Sexual reproduction involves the fusion like fungi meaning they must obtain food
reproduction. of haploid gametes. outside themselves.
Reproduction
(include a
diagram if
applicable)
 Animal-like protists (protozoans) are a
large and diverse group of organisms
found in fresh, marine and brackish
Where do they waters; in hot springs, salt pools,
live? acidic bogs, soil, sludge and sewage.
Most plant-like protists live in oceans, Slime molds live in cool, shady, moist places
ponds, or lakes and Kelp can be as large In the woods and in fresh water. They eat
as trees and form a "forest" in the ocean. bacteria, yeast, and small bits of decaying plant
and animal matter

The Cercozoans: Phylum Cercozoa: Diatoms: Phylum Chrysophyta: Plasmodial slime molds:
The most familiar of the cercozoans Phytoplankton are single-celled, Phylum Myxomycota Plasmodial slime molds
are the amoebas. Amoebas live in free-floating aquatic organisms. are visible to the unaided eye as tiny slug-like
saltwater, fresh water, and mud, and a Diatoms are among the most diverse organisms that creep over damp, decaying
few are parasites living inside an and abundant phytoplankton and are an plant material in forests and fields. This
animal host. important source of food for larger streaming blob, called a plasmodium, contains
marine organisms. many nuclei.
For example, Entamoeba histolytica For example, Cells have two unequal Some of the cytoplasm is concentrated to form
feeds on the lining of the small flagella and one or two chloroplasts. a skeleton-like structure through which the
intestine in humans and causes a Species are determined by lorica and liquid cytoplasm flows.
serious illness called amoebic colony morphology. Dinobryon are very
common in freshwater.
Phylums with dysentery. Cellular slime molds: Phylum Acrasiomycota
Examples Cellular slime molds exist as individual
The Ciliates: Phylum Ciliophora: Dinoflagellates: Phylum Pyrrophyta: amoeboid cells with one nucleus each. Like
Ciliates, have many short, hair-like Like diatoms, most dinoflagellates are protozoans, each cell feeds by ingesting tiny
projections that cover the surface of phytoplankton. A distinguishing feature bacteria or yeast cells. When food becomes
the cell. These hair-like projections are of dinoflagellates is that they have two scarce, the cells release a chemical that causes
called cilia (singular cilium). flagella at right angles to each other. As them to gather together to form a
the flagellar beat, a twirling motion is pseudoplasmodium. Despite their names and
For example, The best-known ciliates produced, so these organisms move by similarities, there is no strong evidence that the
are in the genus Paramecium, also spinning through the water. Under two types of slime molds are closely related.
called paramecia. It ranges from 50 to conditions such as plentiful nutrients,
300 um in size which varies from dinoflagellates reproduce very quickly. Water molds: Phylum Oomycota Water molds
species to species. It is mostly found in The resulting population explosion is are filamentous organisms that resemble fungi.
a freshwater environment.Paramecia called a bloom or algal bloom. In Most live on dead organic matter. Some
use cilia to move through the water species that have red photosynthetic species, however, are parasites on fish, insects,
and to move food into the gullet. pigments, the bloom is referred to as a and plants. They extend fungus-like threads
red tide, into their host’s tissues, where they release
An example: The species that form red digestive enzymes and absorb the resulting
Flagellates: Phylum Zoomastigina: tides produce a toxin that becomes nutrients.
Protists in this phylum are called concentrated in the tissues of
flagellates because they have one or plankton-eating shellfish. If humans eat
more flagella that whip from side to those shellfish, they can become
side to move them about. Recall that in seriously ill or die.
mutualistic relationships, both
organisms benefit from the
relationship. Examples of mutualistic
flagellates include many species that
live in the digestive tract of animals
and help the host animals digest plant
material.
For example, termites feed on wood,
but they are unable to digest the tough
cellulose that makes up a large part of
their diet. Flagellates live in termite
intestines and produce enzymes that
convert cellulose to sugars, which the
termites can use. In return, the
flagellates receive a steady supply of
food and a warm and protected
environment.

The Sporozoans: Phylum Sporozoa:

Sporozoans are parasites of animals,
taking the nutrients they need from
their hosts. Most members of this
group have life cycles that alternate
between sexual and asexual
reproduction—and often alternate
between two hosts.
For example, Giardia is a tiny parasite
(germ) that causes the diarrheal
disease giardiasis. Giardia is found on
surfaces or in soil, food, or water that
has been contaminated with feces
(poop) from infected people or
animals. You can get giardiasis if you
swallow Giardia germs.