1.4 Protists are a diverse group of organisms
Vocabulary
Algae
Plankton
Protozoa
Most protists are
single celled
Protists obtain their
energy in three ways
Multicellular or single celled protists that use sunlight as energy
All organisms that drift in water
Single celled animal like protists that consume other organisms for energy.
 Protists are all organisms made of cells with nuclei that don’t belong
to the animal, plant or fungi kingdoms.
 Most diverse of all the kingdoms
 Most are single celled, microscopic and all live in water
 Protists can be producers or parasites
 Live in moist environments
 Classified by how they get their energy
Plant like- algae, animal like – protozoa, fungus like – decomposers
 Algae – transforms energy from sunlight (photosynthesis) to food.
Phytoplankton produce most of the oxygen animals breathe
 Protozoa – protists that are animal like and eat other organisms to get
their energy
Single celled
Move using cilia, flagella or pseudopods (false feet)
Some are parasites
 Decomposers – fungus like protists that absorb food from decaying
matter in their environment.
Some are moldlike.