Protist Basics
What kingdom contains organisms like amoebas, algae, and paramecia?
Protista
Which type of protist performs photosynthesis: plant-like, animal-like, or fungus-like?
Plant-like
What whip-like structure helps Euglena swim?
Protists form the base of many aquatic food webs as what producers?
Primary producers
Do protists usually reproduce sexually, asexually, or both?
Both
Protists are classified as eukaryotic because they contain what key feature?
A nucleus (membrane-bound organelles)
What animal-like protist moves using pseudopodia?
Amoeba
What tiny hair-like structures allow Paramecium to move?
Cilia
What photosynthetic protists are responsible for a large portion of Earth’s oxygen?
Phytoplankton
What type of reproduction involves simple cell division?
Binary fission
Are protists generally unicellular, multicellular, or both?
Both (mostly unicellular)
What fungus-like protists decompose organic matter in moist environments?
Slime molds
What temporary extensions of cytoplasm do amoebas use for movement and feeding?
Pseudopodia
What domain does the disease malaria, commonly transported by mosquitoes, belong to?
Eukarya- it is a protist
What process allows genetic exchange between paramecia without producing offspring?
Conjugation
What term describes organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms?
Heterotroph
Which group of protists includes diatoms and dinoflagellates?
Algae
What structural feature of dinoflagellates causes red tides and allows bioluminescence?
Their cellulose plates/specialized chloroplasts
Why are protists essential to nutrient cycling?
They decompose organic matter and recycle nutrients
In Plasmodium, or Malaria, what organism serves as the definitive host?
Mosquitoes
Why is “Protista” considered a paraphyletic group rather than a true clade?
Because it includes some but not all descendants of a common ancestor
What group of algae has silica-based cell walls forming intricate patterns?
Diatoms
Many protists have a pellicle instead of a rigid cell wall. What is the function of the pellicle?
It provides structural support while allowing flexibility for movement.
How do zooxanthellae benefit coral reefs?
They provide sugars via photosynthesis in exchange for protection
What advantage does alternating between sexual and asexual reproduction give protists?
Rapid population growth plus increased genetic diversity