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Plant-like Protists

  • Page ID
    184476
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    Plant-like protists can be single-celled or multicellular and they can live in a wide range of environments. Most are able carry out photosynthesis (like plants). 

    There are several groups of plant-like protists, let's take a look at each.

    Euglenoids - named for the genus Euglena, these organisms can glide or swim using a flagella. Many euglenoids are photosynthetic, a few are heterotrophic.   plantlike-protist_57557cdc71a97.jpg
    Dinoflagellates - the dinoflagellates have two flagella, and maybe bioluminescent. They have stiff protective plates, and are known for causing red tides. Most are marine species, but there are a few that live in freshwater environments. Take the time to read about red tides, and bioluminescence

    dino-blueoceanemporium-blogspot-com_57557e05e1111.jpg

    Diatoms - plantlike protists with glasslike shells. The shells are made of silica. These protists produce large amounts of oxygen. 

    diatoms-490_30268_1_57557f4f6acb7.jpg

    Green algae - multicellular protists, that are not considered plants because they lack roots, stems and leaves. Contains both chlorophyll a and b. They also have cell walls made of cellulose.

    green_algae_575580545ce4c.jpg

    Brown algae - multicellular protists, this includes Kelp, contains chlorophyll c (similar to diatoms)

    brown_algae_5755807ec823b.jpg

    Red algae - multicellular, contains chlorophyll a. The pigment comes from phyocoerythrin, not the chlorophyll

    red_algae_575580a372935.jpg

     Watch the Plant Protists video. 

    Most plant like protists can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Watch the video on Sexual Reproduction in Unicellular Protists. Then go to the Reproduction: Protists and Fungi page, and read through the introduction, clikc on Compare these sexual cycles to test your knowledge and understanding. 

     


    Plant-like Protists is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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