Ch 23 Protists Flashcards
What are protists?
Eukaryotic organisms that don’t fit into plants, animals, or fungi.
Where are protists commonly found?
Aquatic and moist environments.
How do protists reproduce?
Asexually (binary fission) or sexually (conjugation, gametes).
What are the four major protist groups?
Excavata, SAR Clade, Archaeplastida, Unikonta.
Which protist group is closely related to plants?
Archaeplastida (includes Red & Green Algae).
What is the Endosymbiotic Theory?
Explains that mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved from engulfed bacteria.
Which bacteria evolved into mitochondria?
Aerobic bacteria.
Which bacteria evolved into chloroplasts?
Cyanobacteria.
How do Euglena and Trypanosoma move?
Flagella (long whip-like tail).
Which protist moves using cilia?
Paramecium.
How does an Amoeba move?
Pseudopodia (cytoplasm extensions).
What is a mixotroph?
An organism that can switch between autotrophy & heterotrophy (e.g., Euglena).
Which protist causes Malaria?
Plasmodium (spread by mosquitoes).
Which protist causes Sleeping Sickness?
Trypanosoma (spread by tsetse flies).
Which protist causes Dysentery?
Entamoeba (from contaminated water).
Which protist causes Giardiasis?
Giardia (from contaminated water).
What is the ecological role of phytoplankton?
Produce oxygen and form the base of food chains.
What is the ecological role of diatoms?
Store carbon and help fight climate change.
What is the ecological role of slime molds?
Decompose organic matter.
What is a practical use of Red Algae?
Source of agar (used in labs & food industry).
How do protists differ from bacteria?
Protists are eukaryotic, bacteria are prokaryotic (no nucleus).
Why are slime molds not classified as fungi?
They lack chitin in their cell walls.
