Understanding Protists and Their Characteristics

Kingdom Protista is diverse, ranging from single-celled organisms to large kelp. Protists have a nucleus and complex organelles, unlike prokaryotes. They are not classified as fungi, animals, or plants due to unique characteristics. Protists exhibit various nutritional modes, including autotrophy, heterotrophy, and saprotrophy. Taxonomists face challenges in classifying protists, as some exhibit both plant-like and animal-like traits. Protists are grouped into fungus-like, animal-like, and plant-like categories.

What is a common feature of all protists?

• They are all multicellular.

• They all live in marine environments.

• They all have a nucleus and complex organelles.

• They all perform photosynthesis.

How do protists differ from fungi in terms of cell wall composition?

• Protists have cell walls made of chitin.

• Protists have cell walls made of cellulose.

• Protists have cell walls made of peptidoglycan.

• Protists lack cell walls entirely.

Which protist is believed to have given rise to plants?

• Diatoms

• Brown algae

• Red algae

• Green algae

Which of the following is a mode of nutrition found in protists?

• Photosynthesis

• Chemosynthesis

• Fermentation

• Nitrogen fixation

What role do predatory protists like amoeba play in their ecosystem?

• They fix nitrogen in the soil.

• They capture and ingest prey.

• They decompose dead organic matter.

• They produce oxygen through photosynthesis.

Why is protistan taxonomy still a subject of revision and controversy?

• Because protists are all identical.

• Because protists fit into both animal-like and plant-like categories.

• Because protists are all extinct.

• Because protists have no evolutionary significance.

Which protist is known for having both animal-like and plant-like characteristics?

• Euglena

• Amoeba

• Paramecium

• Kelp

Into which categories are protists grouped?

• Insect-like, bird-like, and mammal-like

• Fish-like, reptile-like, and amphibian-like

• Bacteria-like, virus-like, and archaea-like

• Fungus-like, animal-like, and plant-like

What is a characteristic of fungus-like protists?

• They perform photosynthesis.

• They have a chitin-based cell wall.

• They absorb nutrients from decaying matter.

• They are all multicellular.

What is a defining feature of animal-like protists?

• They are all photosynthetic.

• They are all multicellular.

• They are single-celled and ingest food.

• They have cellulose cell walls.