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Biology for Kids

Protists

Protists are organisms that are part of the biological kingdom called the protista. These organisms are not plants, animals, bacteria, or fungi. Protists are a very diverse group of organisms. They are basically all the organisms that don't fit into the other groups.

Characteristics of Protists

Protists as a group have very little in common. They are eukaryotic microorganisms with fairly simple eukaryote cell structures. Other than this, they are any organism that is not a plant, animal, bacteria, or fungus.

Types of Protists

One way protists can be divided up is according to how they move. What do they eat?

Different protists gather energy in different ways. Some eat food and digest it internally. Others digest their food outside of their bodies by secreting enzymes. Then they eat the pre-digested food. Still other protists use photosynthesis like plants. They absorb sunlight and use this energy to make glucose.

Algae

One major type of protist is algae. Algae are protists that perform photosynthesis. Algae are very similar to plants. They have chlorophyll and produce food using oxygen and the energy from the Sun. However, they are not considered plants because they do not have specialized organs or tissues like leaves, roots, and stems. Algae are often divided up by their color such as red, brown, and green.

Slime Molds

Slime molds are different from the type of molds that are fungi. There are two types of slime molds: cellular and plasmodial.

Plasmodial slime molds are made from one large cell. They are also called acellular. Even though these organisms are just one cell, they can be very large, even up to several feet wide. They also can have many nuclei in their single cell.

Cellular slime molds are small single-celled protists that can join together to work as a single organism. Different cellular slime molds will take on different functions when they work together.

Amoebas

Amoebas are small single-celled organisms that move using pseudopods. Amoebas are shapeless and eat by engulfing their food with their bodies. Amoebas reproduce by splitting in two through the cell division process called mitosis.

Interesting Facts about Protists
Activities

More Biology Subjects

Cell
The Cell
Cell Cycle and Division
Nucleus
Ribosomes
Mitochondria
Chloroplasts
Proteins
Enzymes

The Human Body
Human Body
Brain
Nervous System
Digestive System
Sight and the Eye
Hearing and the Ear
Smelling and Tasting
Skin
Muscles
Breathing
Blood and Heart
Bones
List of Human Bones
Immune System
Organs

 Nutrition
Nutrition
Vitamins and Minerals
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Enzymes

Genetics
Genetics
Chromosomes
DNA
Mendel and Heredity
Hereditary Patterns
Proteins and Amino Acids

Plants
Photosynthesis
Plant Structure
Plant Defenses
Flowering Plants
Non-Flowering Plants
Trees
 Living Organisms
Scientific Classification
Animals
Bacteria
Protists
Fungi
Viruses

Disease
Infectious Disease
Medicine and Pharmaceutical Drugs
Epidemics and Pandemics
Historical Epidemics and Pandemics
Immune System
Cancer
Concussions
Diabetes
Influenza


Science >> Biology for Kids


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