Protists, Fungi, and Plants Flashcards
Protist
A large group of diverse eukaryotic, mainly unicellular microorganisms, that do not form tissues.
Heterotroph
An organism deriving its nutritional requirements from complex organic substances.
Eukaryote
Any organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other organelles enclosed within membranes.
Decomposer
Organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms, and in doing so they carry out the natural process of decomposition.
Parasite
An organism that lives in or on another organism and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host’s expense.
Host
An organism that harbors a parasite.
Fungi
Any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes unicellular microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as multicellular fungi that produce familiar fruiting forms known as mushrooms.
Spore
A minute, typically one-celled, reproductive unit capable of giving rise to a new individual without sexual fusion, characteristic of lower plants, fungi, and protozoans.
Lichen
A composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of a fungus in a symbiotic relationship.
Nonvascular plant
The division Bryophyta, which includes mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.
Vascular plant
A plant that is characterized by the presence of conducting tissue.
Gymnosperm
A plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit. Gymnosperms include the conifers, cycads, and ginkgo.
Angiosperm
A plant that has flowers and produces seeds enclosed within a carpel. The angiosperms are a large group and include herbaceous plants, shrubs, grasses, and most trees.
Photosynthesis
The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.
Cellular respiration
What cells do to break up sugars into a form that the cell can use as energy.
