KINGDOM PROTISTA

GROUP 5
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• They are simple eukaryotic organisms.

• Most of the organisms are unicellular, some are
colonial and some are multicellular like algae.
• Most of them live in water, some in moist soil or
even the body of human and plants.
• They have mitochondria for cellular respiration and
some have chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
 HABITAT:
• There are over 100,000 described living species of
protists.
• Nearly all protists exist in some type of aquatic
environment, including freshwater and marine
environments, damp soil, and even snow.
• Paramecia are a common example of aquatic
protists.
 NUTRITION:
• There are many plant-like protists, such as algae,
that get their energy from sunlight through
photosynthesis.
• Some of the fungus-like protists, such as the
slime molds, decompose decaying matter.
• The animal-like protists (protozoa) must "eat" or
ingest food.
ECOLOGY OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC
PROTISTS
DECOMPOSING DECAYING
MATTER
 MODE OF REPRODUCTION:
Asexual reproduction is the most common among protists.
 MEDICAL/ECONOMIC USES:
• Used in treatment of high blood pressure, digestion
problems, ulcers, and arthritis.
• Slime molds (including D. discoideum, a soil-living
protist) are used to analyze the chemical signals
in cells.
• Used to make puddings and ice cream solid. Chemicals
from other kinds of algae are used to produce many
kinds of plastics.