Protists
Characteristics:
- Most diverse group of organisms
- Most single-celled with few living in colonies, some are multicelled
- Heterotrophic/autotrophic
- Mobile/sessile
*classified as protists because they don’t fit in anywhere else, not necessarily because they are similar to one another
Classified based on type of nutrition:
| Protozoa(animal-like) | Algae(plant-like) | Slime and Water Moulds(fungi-like) |
|---|---|---|
| heterotrophs that ingest/absorb food | autotrophs that carry out photosynthesis | heterotrophs but spore-producing |
| Importance:- Food source for other organisms, mutualism | Importance: key role in the aquatic ecosystem as they are major producers and are at the bottom of the food chain and are a food source. - Produce a large portion of the planet’s oxygen.- Support coral reefs by providing them with energy to do photosynthesis and red algae provides them with calcium.- Provide shelter for aquatic organisms (some can reach a height of 30m) | Importance:- Act as decomposers by recycling nutrients which results in rich topsoil providing nutrients for plants and animals. |
Human benefits:
- used in researc
- medicines
- COmercial industry