Protists & Fungi Infographic by Brennan Sahawneh

What are Kingdom Protista?

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:22:36 UTC

Protists are simple eukaryotic organisms that are neither plants nor animals or fungi. Protists are unicellular in nature but can also be found as a colony of cells. Most protists live in water, damp terrestrial environments or even as parasites. Euglena, a eukaryotic protist.

Some examples include protozoa, bacteria, and fungi.

Animal Protists

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:27:23 UTC

Animal-like protists are commonly called protozoa (singular, protozoan). Most protozoa consist of a single cell. They are animal-like because they are heterotrophs, and are capable of moving. Although protozoa are not animals, they are thought to be the ancestors of animals.

Plant Like Protists

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:29:23 UTC

Plant-like protists are eukaryotic, photosynthetic, unicellular, or multicellular, possess pyrenoids, gametangia, and a flagellum. Examples of Plant-like protists include Chlamydomonas, diatoms, Laminaria, Coralline, Ulva, and Euglena.

Fungus Like Protists

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:33:09 UTC

Fungus-like protists are molds. Molds are absorptive feeders, found on decaying organic matter. They resemble fungi and reproduce with spores as fungi do. Examples of fungus-like protists include slime molds and water molds.

How Do They Move

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:41:28 UTC

Animal-like protists are distinguished from other protists because of their ability to move and hunt. Most heterotrophic protists can move by using amoeboid cytoplasmic flow, cilia, or flagellum.

Fungus-like protists generally move through pseudopods .

It is well known that many plant-like-protists migrate. Euglena, for example, is a well-known protist that looks like a plant. It moves with the help of its flagella (plural: flagellum), which functions as a little motor

Benefits Of Protists

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:42:36 UTC

Plant-like protists produce one-half of the oxygen on the planet during photosynthesis. Some protists can even decompose and recycle nutrients used by human beings. They are also used to make medicines to treat high blood pressure, digestion problems, ulcers, and arthritis. They are also used as food additives.

The Structure And Function Of Fungi

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:45:01 UTC

Most fungi are multicellular organisms. They display two distinct morphological stages: the vegetative and reproductive. The vegetative stage consists of a tangle of slender thread-like structures called hyphae, whereas the reproductive stage can be more conspicuous. The mass of hyphae is a mycelium.

Three Different Roles Of Fungi In The Environment

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:46:37 UTC

Fungi can function as nutrient cyclers, pathogens, and mutualists that live in a beneficial association with plants and other organisms. We typically think of fungi as decomposers, but they are cryptic and do many different things

Lichens

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:48:39 UTC

Lichens are bizarre organisms and no two are alike. Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics, from its thallus shape to its fruiting bodies.

Mycorrhizae

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:50:20 UTC

Mycorrhizae are a symbiotic association between plant roots and fungi. Their major role is to enhance nutrient and water uptake by the host plant by exploiting a larger volume of soil than roots alone can do. Mycorrhizae come in a number of forms, dependent upon both host plant and fungal taxonomy.

Human Uses Of Fungi

bsahawneh27 — 2024-05-04 04:51:33 UTC

Humans use fungi for many purposes, including as food or in the preparation of food. Humans also use fungi for pest control. In addition, fungi can be used to produce citric acid , antibiotics, and human hormones.