How are protists helpful and harmful?
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.
Can protists be helpful for living things?
Protists also play an important role in the environment. According to CK-12, plant-like protists produce almost half of the oxygen on Earth through photosynthesis. Protists act as decomposers and help in recycling nutrients through ecosystems, according to the educational website Biology Online (opens in new tab).
What role do protists play in the environment?
Protists function at several levels of the ecological food web: as primary producers, as direct food sources, and as decomposers. In addition, many protists are parasites of plants and animals that can cause deadly human diseases or destroy valuable crops.
What are the economic importance of protists?
Economic Importance of Protists Protists serve as the foundation of the food chain. Protists are symbionts – having a close relationship between two species in which, one is benefited. Some protists also produce oxygen and may be used to produce biofuel. Protists are the primary sources of food for many animals.
How do protists provide shelter?
Photosynthetic protists serve as producers of nutrition for other organisms. Protists like zooxanthellae have a symbiotic relationship with coral reefs; the protists act as a food source for coral and the coral provides shelter and compounds for photosynthesis for the protists.
Which role of protists has the most positive effect?
Which role of protists has the most positive effect on maintaining the plant population in an ecosystem? Protists decompose dead materials, returning nutrients to the soil.
How do protists help ecosystems?
Saprobic protists have the essential function of returning inorganic nutrients to the soil and water. This process allows for new plant growth, which in turn generates sustenance for other organisms along the food chain.
What functions do protists play in the environment?
Protists function at several levels of the ecological food web: as primary producers, as direct food sources, and as decomposers. In addition, many protists are parasites of plants and animals and can cause deadly human diseases or destroy valuable crops.
How are protists important in the world of evolution?
Some important characteristics arose in protists during their evolution as explained by the endosymbiotic theory and it's evidence. There was a nucleus that was divided by mitosis. There was an endomembrane system and a cytoskeleton system that they developed. They could develop flagella or cilia for locomotion.