Emily Johnson
Mushrooms are a type of fungus, which includes yeasts, rusts, smuts, mildews, and molds. Fungi are among the most widely distributed organisms on Earth. Protists, on the other hand, are microscopic eukaryotic organisms that are not animals, plants, or fungi. They include organisms such as algae and protozoans. While mushrooms are not protists, there has been some historical ambiguity in the classification of certain organisms as either fungi or protists. For example, the Eccrinales and Amoebidiales were once thought to be zygomycete fungi but are now considered opisthokont protists.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Protists are any eukaryotic organisms that are not animals, land plants, or fungi. |
| Taxonomy | Protists were historically regarded as a separate taxonomic kingdom known as Protista or Protoctista, but modern classifications place them across several eukaryotic clades or supergroups, excluding fungi. |
| Diversity | Protists exhibit extreme genetic and ecological diversity, with a variety of unicellular and multicellular forms, including amoebae, slime molds, and algae. They represent a wide range of shapes, life cycles, trophic levels, and modes of locomotion. |
| Nutrition | Protists display varied types of nutrition, such as phototrophy (algae), phagotrophy, osmotrophy, and mixotrophy (combining different types). |
| Adaptations | Protists possess unique adaptations not found in multicellular animals, fungi, or land plants. For example, amoebae, a type of protist, move using pseudopodia, extensions of their cytoplasm. |
| Mushrooms | Mushrooms are classified as fungi, specifically belonging to the Basidiomycota phylum, and are therefore not protists. |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms are fungi, not protists
Mushrooms are a type of fungus, and therefore, they are not protists. Protists are any eukaryotic organisms that are not animals, land plants, or fungi. This definition by exclusion means that protists are a paraphyletic group that includes the ancestors of the three traditional eukaryotic kingdoms (animals, land plants, and fungi).
Protists are primarily single-celled and microscopic, and they exhibit a wide variety of shapes and life strategies. They are present in all ecosystems and play important roles in biogeochemical cycles and trophic webs. Some common types of protists include amoebae, flagellates, and algae. Amoebae are characterized by their irregular, flexible shapes and move by extending pseudopodia, while flagellates are equipped with whip-like appendages that enable them to swim or glide freely. Algae are photosynthetic protists found intermingled with heterotrophic protists.
On the other hand, fungi, including mushrooms, are a separate group of organisms. They have their own unique characteristics and are classified based on the structures of their sexual reproductive organs. As of 2019, nine major lineages of fungi have been identified, including Chytridiomycota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. Fungi, unlike protists, are not primarily single-celled and do not exhibit the same diversity of shapes and life strategies as protists.
While there is some overlap in the characteristics of protists and fungi, they are distinct groups of organisms. Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotes that exclude land plants, animals, and fungi, while fungi, including mushrooms, are classified based on their unique reproductive structures and fall into several major lineages. Therefore, mushrooms are correctly classified as fungi, not protists.
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Protists are not animals, plants or fungi
A protist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, land plant, or fungus. Protists are a diverse group of organisms that primarily exist as single-celled and microscopic life forms. They are present in all ecosystems and exhibit a wide variety of shapes and life strategies. They have different life cycles, trophic levels, modes of locomotion, and cellular structures.
Protists do not form a natural group or clade but are a paraphyletic grouping of all descendants of the last eukaryotic common ancestor, excluding land plants, animals, and fungi. They represent an extremely large genetic and ecological diversity in all environments, including extreme habitats. Their diversity, larger than for all other eukaryotes, has only been discovered in recent decades through the study of environmental DNA and is still being fully described.
Protists may be classified as animal-like, fungus-like, or plant-like, depending on their characteristics. Animal-like protists, called protozoa, are all unicellular and heterotrophic, meaning they seek out food in their surrounding environments. Some animal-like protists prey on other, smaller microorganisms, which they engulf and digest in a process known as phagocytosis. The four main types of animal-like protists are amoebae, flagellates, ciliates, and sporozoans. Amoebae are characterized by their irregular, flexible shapes, and they move by extending portions of their cytoplasm, known as pseudopodia. Flagellates are equipped with one or more whip-like appendages called cilia, enabling them to swim or glide freely. Ciliates are covered in tiny hair-like structures that they use for movement and feeding. Sporozoans are parasitic organisms, with Plasmodium, the parasite known to cause malaria, being a famous example.
Fungus-like protists, known as molds, absorb nutrients from decaying organic matter in their environment. The two major types of fungus-like protists are slime molds and water molds. Slime molds are often found on rotting logs and can swarm together to form a slow-moving, slimy mass when food is scarce. Water molds usually live on the surface of water or in damp soil and, like slime molds, feed on decaying organic matter.
Plant-like protists, also known as algae, are usually photosynthetic organisms that make their own food using chloroplasts. Most contain chlorophyll and have cell walls that, like true plants, contain cellulose.
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Protists are diverse, single-celled organisms
Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms that are primarily single-celled and microscopic. They exhibit a wide variety of shapes and life strategies, with different life cycles, trophic levels, modes of locomotion, and cellular structures. While most protists are unicellular, some are multicellular or form colonies of similar cells. They are present in all ecosystems and exhibit varied types of nutrition, sometimes combining them (in mixotrophy).
Protists are not animals, plants, or fungi, but they may share certain morphological and physiological characteristics with these other groups. They represent an extremely large genetic and ecological diversity in all environments, including extreme habitats. The study of protists is called protistology.
Protists include a wide range of organisms, such as free-living algae, amoebae, and slime moulds, as well as important parasites. Algae are photosynthetic protists and can be found in most of the main clades, intermingled with heterotrophic protists (protozoa). Amoebae are characterised by their irregular, flexible shapes, and they move by extending portions of their cytoplasm, known as pseudopodia. Some amoebae can produce stalked multicellular structures that bear spores, and some can even grow to giant sizes visible to the naked eye.
Flagellates are another type of protist equipped with one or more whip-like appendages called cilia, undulipodia, or eukaryotic flagella, which enable them to swim or glide freely. Flagellates are found in all lineages, and some groups have a high number of cilia. Certain groups of flagellates, such as ciliates and opalinids, have a cell surface covered in rows of rhythmically beating cilia.
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Some protists resemble animals and plants
Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms belonging to the Kingdom Protista. They are primarily single-celled and microscopic, exhibiting a wide variety of shapes and life strategies. While most protists are unicellular, some are multicellular and visible to the naked eye. They are not animals, plants, or fungi, but some protists resemble these organisms due to their mixture of traits. These are known as ambiregnal protists and include slime moulds and flagellated algae like euglenids.
Animal-like protists, called protozoa or 'first animals', are all unicellular and heterotrophic, meaning they seek out food in their surroundings. Some protozoa prey on smaller microorganisms, which they engulf and digest through phagocytosis. Others feed on non-living organic matter. Many protozoa have a mouth-like structure for ingesting food particles, and some absorb nutrients through their cell membrane. Examples of protozoa include amoeba, flagellates, ciliates, and sporozoans. Amoeba use their pseudopodia, or 'false feet', to catch bacteria and smaller protists, while flagellates use their whip-like flagella to propel themselves through water. Ciliates, such as the well-known paramecium, are covered in tiny hair-like structures that they use for movement and feeding. Finally, sporozoans are parasitic organisms, including Plasmodium, the parasite known to cause malaria.
Fungus-like protists, also known as molds, are heterotrophic feeders that absorb nutrients from decaying organic matter in their environment. The two major types of fungus-like protists are slime molds and water molds. Slime molds are often found on rotting logs, and under conditions of scarce food, they can swarm together to form a slow-moving, brightly coloured, slimy mass that can even fuse into one enormous multinucleated cell. Water molds, on the other hand, usually live on the surface of water or in damp soil. This group includes several plant pathogens, such as the potato blight that devastated potato crops.
Plant-like protists, also known as algae, are typically photosynthetic organisms that make their own food using chloroplasts. Most algal cells have cell walls containing cellulose, similar to true plants. Algae can be found in most of the main clades, intermingled with heterotrophic protists traditionally called protozoa.
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Some fungi were once classified as protists
The term 'protist' refers to any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, land plant, or fungus. Protists represent an extremely large genetic and ecological diversity in all environments, including extreme habitats. They are present in all ecosystems as important components of biogeochemical cycles and trophic webs.
Protists do not form a natural group or clade but are a paraphyletic grouping of all descendants of the last eukaryotic common ancestor, excluding land plants, animals, and fungi. They exhibit varied types of nutrition and unique adaptations not present in multicellular animals, fungi, or land plants.
Additionally, other groups now classified as Opisthokonta, such as Corallochytrium and Ichthyosporea, were also once considered fungi. The genus Blastocystis, now classified as Stramenopiles, was originally classified as a yeast, and Ellobiopsis, now in Alveolata, was considered a chytrid. The Rozellida clade, including the "ex-chytrid" Rozella, is a genetically disparate group mostly known from environmental DNA sequences. While members of this group lack the chitinous cell wall characteristic of fungi, Rozella can alternatively be classified as a basal fungal group.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushrooms are the umbrella-shaped fruiting bodies of certain fungi, typically of the order Agaricales in the phylum Basidiomycota. They are among the most widely distributed organisms on Earth.
Protists are any eukaryotic organisms that are not animals, land plants, or fungi. They are primarily single-celled and microscopic, and exhibit a wide variety of shapes and life strategies. They are present in all ecosystems and perform important functions in biogeochemical cycles and trophic webs.
No, mushrooms are a type of fungus, and protists specifically exclude fungi from their definition. However, some protists may exhibit traits similar to fungi, such as slime molds and flagellated algae.
Some well-known protists include amoebae, flagellates, and algae. Amoebae are characterized by their irregular, flexible shapes and move by extending pseudopodia, while flagellates are equipped with whip-like appendages called cilia that enable them to swim or glide. Algae are photosynthetic protists that can be found in most main clades, intermingled with heterotrophic protists or protozoa.
