Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotes that are primarily single-celled and microscopic and exhibit a wide variety of shapes and life strategies.

Protist, any member of a group of diverse eukaryotic, predominantly unicellular microscopic organisms. They may share certain morphological and physiological characteristics with animals or plants or both.

Feb 2, 2023 · Protists are the oldest eukaryotic microorganisms, having a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. Since they do not wholly fit into other groups like plants, animals, bacteria, or …

Aug 5, 2025 · The term “protist” might sound like a placeholder—and in many ways, it is. It’s not a name for a single group of closely related organisms, but rather a convenient bin for everything that doesn’t …

May 1, 2025 · Protists can acquire nutrition through photosynthesis, absorbing nutrients, or feeding on other organisms. Some protists move using flagella, cilia, or pseudopodia, while others do not move …

Because the name “protist” serves as a catchall term for eukaryotic organisms that are not animal, plant, or fungi, it is not surprising that very few characteristics are common to all protists. On the other …

The first is a phylogeny-based definition; that protists are all eukaryotes that are not animals, fungi, or land plants (Embryophyta). The second concept includes various definitions based on biological …

Eukaryotic organisms that did not fit the criteria for the kingdoms Animalia, Fungi, or Plantae historically were called protists and were classified into the kingdom Protista.

Apr 27, 2017 · Protists are a group of loosely connected, mostly unicellular eukaryotic organisms that are not plants, animals or fungi. There is no single feature such as evolutionary history or …

Feb 14, 2022 · Many diverse organisms including algae, amoebas, ciliates (such as paramecium) fit the general moniker of protist.