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The ciliates are a highly diverse (>8,000 species) and probably the most thoroughly studied [17] group of protists. They are mostly free-living microbes characterized by large cells covered in rows of cilia and containing two kinds of nuclei, micronucleus and macronucleus (e.g., Paramecium, a model organism). [62]
The largest living fungus may be a honey fungus [25] of the species Armillaria ostoyae. [26] A mushroom of this type in the Malheur National Forest in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, U.S. was found to be the largest fungal colony in the world, spanning 8.9 km 2 (2,200 acres) of area. [25] [27] This organism is estimated to be 2,400 years old.
Marine protists are defined by their habitat as protists that live in marine environments, that is, ... ranging from free-living cells to large colonies. [33]
Ciliates are an important group of protists, common almost anywhere there is water—in lakes, ponds, oceans, rivers, and soils, including anoxic and oxygen-depleted habitats. [2] About 4,500 unique free-living species have been described, and the potential number of extant species is estimated at 27,000–40,000. [ 3 ]
Protistology is a scientific discipline devoted to the study of protists, a highly diverse group of eukaryotic organisms. All eukaryotes apart from animals, plants and fungi are considered protists. [1]
These protists are common worldwide in freshwater lakes and streams; only S. multiformis has been recorded from marine, freshwater, and even terrestrial biotopes. They are usually attached to algal filaments or detritus. Some Stentor species, such as S. polymorphus, can live symbiotically with certain species of green algae .
Foraminifera (/ f ə ˌ r æ m ə ˈ n ɪ f ə r ə / fə-RAM-ə-NIH-fə-rə; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of Rhizarian protists characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm for catching food and other uses; and commonly an external shell (called a "test") of diverse forms and materials.
The green algae are a large group of photosynthetic eukaryotes that include many microscopic organisms. Although some green algae are classified as protists, others such as charophyta are classified with embryophyte plants, which are the most familiar group of land plants. Algae can grow as single cells, or in long chains of cells.