Lecture Notes on Protists

This set of flashcards covers important vocabulary and definitions related to the study of protists and their characteristics.

Protist

The informal name of the group of mostly unicellular eukaryotes.

Polyphyletic group

A group that is classified by traits rather than by a common ancestor.

Photoautotrophs

Organisms that contain chloroplasts and can perform photosynthesis.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that absorb organic molecules or ingest larger food particles.

Mixotrophs

Organisms that combine photosynthesis and heterotrophic nutrition.

Endosymbiotic relationship

A relationship where one cell engulfs another to perform specific functions.

Amoebozoa

A supergroup that includes unicellular, multicellular, and colonial species generally containing pseudopodia.

Plasmodial slime molds

Brightly pigmented slime molds that form a mass called a plasmodium which is undivided by plasma membranes.

Cellular slime molds

Slime molds that form multicellular aggregates, with cells separated by their membranes.

Dinoflagellates

A group of diverse aquatic organisms with two flagella, some of which can produce toxic blooms or bioluminescence.

Diatoms

Unicellular algae with a distinctive two-part silica wall.