Protista Flashcards
What is the Kingdom Protista?
What is the Kingdom Protista?
What are the key characteristics of Protists?
Simple unicellular or multicellular eukaryotic organisms
No tissue differentiation
Found mainly in water
Autotrophic or heterotrophic
Can be microscopic or several meters in length (e.g., seaweeds)
Some are sessile or free-floating, while others can move using flagella or pseudopodia
Can reproduce both sexually and asexually
What is the term for small plants (algae) that float on or near the surface of water?
Phytoplankton
What is the term for small animals and the immature stages of larger animals that float in water?
Zooplankton
What is the term for organisms that live in or around water?
Aquatic
What are the two types of Protista based on their nutritional modes?
Autotrophic (self-feeding, like algae)
Heterotrophic (feeding on other organisms, like Amoeba)
How do some Protists move?
Using flagella (e.g., Euglena)
Using pseudopodia (false feet, e.g., Amoeba)
What are the two main groups of plant-like Protista?
Phytoplankton (unicellular, autotrophic)
Algae (multicellular, macroscopic, seaweeds)
What are the characteristics of Animal-like Protista?
Mainly heterotrophic
Unicellular and free-living
Found in aquatic environments
Some are parasitic and cause diseases like malaria
Free-floating aquatic animal-like protists are called zooplankton
What is the term for organisms that are permanently attached to something and cannot move on their own but can move through external sources?
Sessile
What pigments do seaweeds contain, and what colors do they give them?
Seaweeds contain various photosynthetic pigments that give them green, red, or brown colors.
What is the difference between sessile and free-floating protists?
Sessile protists are permanently attached and can’t move on their own.
Free-floating protists (like phytoplankton and zooplankton) can move through water.
