Kingdom Protista
Kingdom Protista is known as the “JUNK DRAWER” of the Eukaryotic kingdoms. If you are a eukaryotic
cell and you don’t fit into Kingdoms Fungi, Plantae, or Animalia then you automatically belong to Kingdom
Protista. Species in this kingdom don’t really have a lot in common except for these facts:
 They are eukaryotes
 The reproduce asexually (by mitosis or fragmentation) OR sexually (conjugation)
 They require some sort of moisture to survive
A drop of pond water is a great place to look for protists. You will find all sorts
of differently shaped single-celled organisms floating around.
Although Kingdom Protista is very diverse, scientists have grouped all protists
into 3 groups: Animal-like protists, plant-like protists, and fungi-like protists.
ANIMAL-LIKE PROTISTS aka Protozoans
All animal-like protists are heterotrophs. They capture and ingest food, and don’t have a cell wall. Many
are parasites.
How do amoeba get around or catch food? Draw a picture and label important parts. (p. 73)
How do paramecia get around or catch food? Draw a picture and label important parts (p. 73)
FUNGUS-LIKE PROTISTS
Fungus-like protists are heterotrophs that absorb nutrients from living/dead organisms or waste. They
have a cell wall and produce spores for reproduction.
Example: Plasmodial Slime Moulds
 Visible to the naked eye but are NOT multicellular. They are
just a bunch of cells that have fused together.
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PLANT-LIKE PROTISTS
Plant-like protists are autotrophs that make their own food using chloroplasts. They have cell walls.
The best example of plant-like protists are algae.
There are 3 types of algae: red, green, and brown. Red and brown algae make up seaweed. Although
seaweed looks multicellular, it’s actually not. It’s just a bunch of individual protist cells stuck together.
Green algae are unicellular organisms called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is the major food source of
the ocean! Even more impressive: 80% of the Earth’s oxygen is produced by algae!
Use your textbook to find a human sickness caused by protists. Explain!