protists

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What are protists?

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Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotic microorganisms, which can be unicellular or multicellular, and are not classified as animals, plants, or fungi.

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What is an autotroph?

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An autotroph is an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals. Examples include many protists like algae.

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What is a heterotroph?

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A heterotroph is an organism that cannot produce its own food and instead obtains it by consuming other organisms. Many protists, such as protozoa, are heterotrophs.

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What is the function of a contractile vacuole in protists?

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A contractile vacuole helps regulate the water content in protists by expelling excess water, thus maintaining osmotic balance.

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What are flagella?

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Flagella are long, whip-like structures that protrude from the cell body of some protists, used for movement.

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What are cilia?

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Cilia are short, hair-like structures that cover the surface of some protists, used for movement and feeding.

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What is the phylum Apicomplexa?

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Apicomplexa is a phylum of protists that are entirely parasitic, feeding off living hosts, such as Plasmodium, which causes malaria.

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What is the role of pseudopods in protists?

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Pseudopods are temporary projections of eukaryotic cells used for movement and feeding, commonly found in amoebas.

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How do slime molds differ from other protists?

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Slime molds can exist as single cells but can aggregate to form multicellular structures, resembling animals during part of their life cycle.

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What is the significance of the gullet in some protists?

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The gullet is a structure in some protists that helps in the ingestion of food by forming a food vacuole.