How are protists classified?

Protists are diverse types of eukaryotic organisms that can have animal-like, plant-like and fungi-like cell membranes. Protozoa, the animal-like protist group, are unicellular. Some examples of protozoa are amoebas and paramecia. read more

Photosynthetic protists such as the various types of algae contain plastids. These organelles serve as the site of photosynthesis (the process of harvesting sunlight to produce nutrients in the form of carbohydrates). The plastids of some protists are similar to those of plants. read more

The cells of protists are highly organized with a nucleus and specialized cellular machinery called organelles. At one time, simple organisms such as amoebas and single-celled algae were classified together in a single taxonomic category: the kingdom Protista. read more