What term describes protists that may be either free living or get nutrients from host organisms answers com?

Between 1674 and 1716, he described, in addition to free-living protozoa, several parasitic species from animals, and Giardia lamblia from his own stools. Virtually all humans have protozoa living in or on their body at some time, and many persons are infected with one or more species throughout their life.

Which term describes protists?

A protist (/ˈproʊtɪst/) is any eukaryotic organism (that is, an organism whose cells contain a cell nucleus) that is not an animal, plant, or fungus.

Are protists heterotrophic or autotrophic?

Protists get food in many different ways. Some protists are autotrophic, others are heterotrophic. Recall that autotrophs make their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis (see the Photosynthesis concepts). Photoautotrophs include protists that have chloroplasts, such as Spirogyra.

How does protists get their nutrition?

Protists get food in one of three ways. They may ingest, absorb, or make their own organic molecules. Ingestive protists ingest, or engulf, bacteria and other small particles. They extend their cell wall and cell membrane around the food item, forming a food vacuole.

Is Protista unicellular or multicellular or both?

protist, any member of a group of diverse eukaryotic, predominantly unicellular microscopic organisms. They may share certain morphological and physiological characteristics with animals or plants or both.

What is Kingdom Protista and its characteristics?

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. These organisms are usually unicellular and the cell of these organisms contains a nucleus which is bound to the organelles.

What is protist in science definition?

: any of a diverse taxonomic group and especially a kingdom (Protista synonym Protoctista) of eukaryotic organisms that are unicellular and sometimes colonial or less often multicellular and that typically include the protozoans, most algae, and often some fungi (such as slime molds)

Is Protista living thing?

All living organisms can be broadly divided into two groups — prokaryotes and eukaryotes — which are distinguished by the relative complexity of their cells. Bacteria and archaea are prokaryotes, while all other living organisms — protists, plants, animals and fungi — are eukaryotes.

What refers to autotrophic protists?

Autotrophic protists–those that, like plants, use photosynthesis to make their own food–are called algae. These include red, brown and green algae, as well as diatoms, dinoflagellates and euglena. Some algae have complex life cycles; plant life is thought to have evolved from green algae.

What is an autotrophic protist?

An autotrophic protist is a type of single-celled organism that can create its own food.

Which protists obtain their nutrients from endocytosis of other organisms?

These protists are called filter-feeders. They acquire nutrients by constantly whipping their tails, called flagellum, back and forth. The whipping of the flagellum creates a current that brings food into the protist. Other animal-like protists must “swallow” their food through a process called endocytosis.

How do protists obtain energy and nutrients?

Protists can be classified by their way of getting energy. Some protists capture sunlight and convert it to usable energy. Another group of protists gets its energy from eating other organisms. A third group gets energy by absorbing materials and nutrients from its environment.

How many undescribed species of protists are there?

There are over 100,000 described living species of protists, and it is unclear how many undescribed species may exist. Since many protists live in symbiotic relationships with other organisms and these relationships are often species specific, there is a huge potential for undescribed protist diversity that matches the diversity of the hosts.

How are protists a food source for other organisms?

Protists as Food Sources Protists are essential sources of nutrition for many other organisms. In some cases, as in plankton, protists are consumed directly. Alternatively, photosynthetic protists serve as producers of nutrition for other organisms by carbon fixation.

What is the difference between a protist and a parasite?

Several protist species are parasites that infect animals or plants. A parasite is an organism that lives on or in another organism and feeds on it, often without killing it. A few protist species live on dead organisms or their wastes, and contribute to their decay. The cells of protists are among the most elaborate of all cells.

Which is a characteristic of a photosynthetic protist?

Photosynthetic protists (photoautotrophs) are characterized by the presence of chloroplasts. Other protists are heterotrophs and consume organic materials (such as other organisms) to obtain nutrition.