Question

1. Hypothesize in what type of environments it would be advantageous for a protist to be autotrophic, heterotrophic, or mixotrophic.

2. Many algae are photosynthetic, like plants. Why then are they not classified as such?

3. Some protists are colony forming. Hypothesize why this may be an advantage or disadvantage.

PLEASE TYPE ANSWERS

Answer 1

Answer 1. Protists are autotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic based in their nutrition source. Autotrophs make their own food in presence of sun light while heterotrophic depend on decaying leaves or organism or other living animals like sporozoans, amoebas, paramecia, and slim molds.

In the presence of sun light or the area of water where sun light can reach is good for protists to be autotrophic so that they can use pigment present in them to make food.

In the deep water where sunlight in not present and other small organism available as carbon or food sources it is advantageous for protists to be heterothrohpic.

Answer 2. Tough algae possess chloroplast and produce food their body is thalloid and not differentiated in root, stem and leaves. Algae also lack tissue system like plants that’s why they are not classified in pant group.

Answer 3. Colony forming is advantageous for unicellular organism as it gives togetherness when they make colony. In this form they can survive easily by fighting with environmental challenges. In colony, protists function as multicellular organism which is more advanced.

Cell’s being in colony is more favorable that’s why during evolution multicellular organism are developed and called most advanced.