Protist+-+Example

Protist



**Protists** are a diverse group of eukaryotic microorganisms. Historically, protists were treated as the kingdom **Protista** but this group is no longer recognized in modern taxonomy. Instead, it is "better regarded as a loose grouping of 30 or 40 disparate phyla with diverse combinations of trophic modes, mechanisms of motility, cell coverings and life cycles."



The protists do not have much in common besides a relatively simple organization either they are unicellular, or they are multicellular without specialized tissues. This simple cellular organization distinguishes the protists from other eukaryotes, such as fungi, animals and plants.




 * They are **eukaryotes** because they all have a **nucleus**.
 * Most have **mitochondria** although some have later lost theirs Mitochondria were derived from aerobic alpha-proteobacteria that once lived within their cells.
 * Many have **chloroplasts** with which they carry on photosynthesis. Chloroplasts were derived from photosynthetic **cyanobacteria** living within their cells.