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Are protists harmful or helpful?
The kingdom Protista is a diverse group of organisms. Some protists are harmful, but many more are beneficial. These organisms form the foundation for food chains, produce the oxygen we breathe, and play an important role in nutrient recycling. Many protists are economically useful as well.
How do protists help some animals?
Protists feed a large portion of the world’s aquatic species and conduct a quarter of the world’s photosynthesis. Protists help land-dwelling animals such as cockroaches and termites digest cellulose.
How can protist be harmful?
Some severe diseases of humans are caused by protists, primarily blood parasites. Malaria, trypanosomiasis (e.g., African sleeping sickness), leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, and amoebic dysentery are debilitating or fatal afflictions.
How can protists be helpful?
Plant-like protists produce almost one-half of the oxygen on the planet through photosynthesis. Other protists decompose and recycle nutrients that humans need to live. For example, medicines made from protists are used in treatment of high blood pressure, digestion problems, ulcers, and arthritis.
What is a good protist?
Brown and Red Algae Phaeophyta, or brown algae, are also beneficial types of protist. These include algae such as kelp. These algae are food sources for fish as well as humans. They have large amounts of iodine, which is a necessary nutrient for life.
What are the 3 categories of protists?
Protists are defined by how they obtain nutrition and how they move. Protists are typically divided into three categories, including animal-like protists, plant-like protists, and fungus-like protists. Protists vary in how they move, which can range from cilia, flagella, and pseudopodia.
What are the characteristics of protist?
Protists are eukaryotes, which means their cells have a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles….Characteristics of Protists
- They are eukaryotic, which means they have a nucleus.
- Most have mitochondria.
- They can be parasites.
- They all prefer aquatic or moist environments.
What illness is caused by a protist?
A small number of protists are serious pathogenic parasites that must infect other organisms to survive and propagate. For example, protist parasites include the causative agents of malaria, African sleeping sickness, amoebic encephalitis, and waterborne gastroenteritis in humans.
Are all protists harmful?
Many protists are harmful to humans, other animals and plants because they cause diseases and crop failures. However, some protists are actually beneficial to other creatures and are used by humans for various purposes.
What are some bad protists?
We looked at a number of examples, including protists that cause:
- Malaria.
- African sleeping sickness.
- Giardiasis.
- Cryptosporidiosis.
- Trichomoniasis.
- Toxoplasmosis.
- Amoebic dysentery.