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Protists are distributed across all major groups of eukaryotes, including those that contain multicellular algae, green plants, animals, and fungi. If photosynthetic and fungal protists are distinguished from protozoa, they appear as shown in the phylogenetic tree of eukaryotic groups.
A protist (/ ˈ p r oʊ t ɪ s t /) is any eukaryotic organism (one with cells containing a nucleus) that is not an animal, plant, or fungus.The protists do not form a natural group, or clade, since they exclude certain eukaryotes with whom they share a common ancestor; [a] but, like algae or invertebrates, the grouping is used for convenience.
Ciliate species range in size from as little as 10 μm in some colpodeans to as much as 4 mm in length in some geleiids, and include some of the most morphologically complex protozoans. [4] [5] In most systems of taxonomy, "Ciliophora" is ranked as a phylum [6] under any of several kingdoms, including Chromista, [7] Protista [8] or Protozoa. [9]
A few groups of amoebae have retained their flagella, making them amoeboflagellates. [26] Algae. They are the photosynthetic protists, and can be found in most of the main clades, completely intermingled with heterotrophic protists which are traditionally called protozoa. [27]
Its field of study therefore overlaps with the more traditional disciplines of phycology, mycology, and protozoology, just as protists embrace mostly unicellular organisms described as algae, some organisms regarded previously as primitive fungi, and protozoa ("animal" motile protists lacking chloroplasts).
Yet it performs similar functions to its unicellular and large colonies counterparts as it mixes propulsion and body rotation and swims efficiently toward light. [ 34 ] [ 52 ] [ 53 ] The flagellar organization of inner and peripheral cells deeply differs: [ 54 ] [ 55 ] Central cells are similar to Chlamydomonas, with the two flagella beating in ...
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"Marine protists are a polyphyletic group of organisms playing major roles in the ecology and biogeochemistry of the oceans, including performing much of Earth's photosynthesis and driving the carbon, nitrogen, and silicon cycles. In addition, marine protists occupy key positions in the tree of life, including as the closest relatives of ...