Protist

Definition

A protist or protoctist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, land plant, or fungus. Protists do not form a natural group, or clade, but are a paraphyletic group encompassing the entire eukaryote tree of life, from which land plants, animals, and fungi evolved. They are primarily single-celled, exhibiting a wide range of forms such as amoebae, ciliates, thick-walled microalgae and, more commonly, flagellates. Several transitions to multicellularity have occurred among protists, from colonies with alternating cell types to giant slime molds, fungus-like organisms, and seaweeds with differentiated tissues.

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Abditibacteriota Acanthamoeba Acantharia Acanthocephala Acetithermota Acidobacteriota Acidocalcisome Acidophile Acinetactis Acrasid Acritarch Actin Actinomycetota Actinophryid Actinophrys Adaptive radiation Adenosine triphosphate Adnaviria Aenigmatarchaeota Aerobic metabolism Aerobic organism Aerophobota Albian Algae Algospongia Alkaliphile Alphasatellitidae Altarchaeota Alternating generations Alveolata Alveolate Alveolates Amber Ammodochium Ammonia Amoeba Amoeba (genus)Amoebae Amoebiasis Amoebic meningoencephalitis Amoebidium Amoeboflagellate Amoeboid Amoeboid movement Amoebozoa Amoebozoans Amorphea Ampullaviridae Anaeramoeba Anaeromonadea Ancestral trait Ancyromonadida Ancyromonadidae Ancyromonads Animal Animals Annelid Anoxic event Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Aphagea Aphelida Apicomplexa Apicomplexans Apicoplast Aptian Apusomonad Apusomonadida Apusomonadidae Apusomonads Aquificota Arcellinida Archaea Archaeochaeta Archaeplastid Archaeplastida Archamoebea Archean Archean eon Arctic Ocean Armatimonadota Arthropod Ascetosporea Ascomycota Asgard archaea Atribacterota Augarchaeota Auribacterota Australian Faunal Directory Autotroph Autotrophy Auxotrophy Avsunviroidae Axoneme Axopodia Axostyle Babelota Bacillota Bacteria Bacterial Bacterial lawn Bacterivores Bacteroidota Badhamia Balneolales Bangiomorpha Barthelona Bartogtaviriformidae Basal bodies Basal body Basaltiviridae Basidiomycota Benthic Berkeleyaesol Beta diversity Bicaudaviridae Bicellum Bicellum brasieri Bicosoecea Bicosoecid Bigyra Bigyromonad Binary fission Binatota Binomial nomenclature Bio-like structure Biodiversity Biogeochemical cycle Biological life cycle Biological trait Biology Biomass Biomass (ecology)Biomineralization Biosynthesis Biotrophy Bipolaricaulota Blastocladiomycota Blastocystis Body plan Boring Billion Boring billion Brachiopoda Brachygtaviriformidae Breviatea Brown algae Bryozoa Budding CAM (clade)CRuMs Caelestes Calcium Caldipriscota Caldisericota Caldithrix Calescibacteriota Calpionellid Calymmian Calyptosporium Cambrian Cambrian explosion Cancer cell Canglongiota Capitanian mass extinction event Carbon cycle Carbon fixation Carboniferous Carposporophyte Cell differentiation Cell membrane Cell nucleus Cell types Cell wall Cellular respiration Cenozoic Centrioles Centrohelid Centrohelids Cephaleuros virescens Cephalonyx Cercomonad Cercozoa Cercozoan Chaetognatha Chalk Changchengia Chara (alga)Charophyceae Charophyta Charophyte Cheleutochroa Chemosensors Chert Chinese finger trap Chitinozoan Chlamydiota Chlorarachniophyte Chloroflexota Chlorokybus Chlorophyta Chloroplasts Choanoflagellate Choanoflagellates Choanozoa Cholesterol Chordate Chromatin Chromera velia Chromista Chrompodellid Chrysiogenota Chytrid Chytridiomycota Ciguatera Cilia Ciliate Ciliates Cilium Circular chromosome Cirrus (biology)Clade Cladococcus Clavaviridae Climate change Cloacimonadota Clonally transmissible cancer Clubroot Cnidaria Coccoid (disambiguation)Coccolith Coccolithophore Cockroach Cockroaches Coenobium (morphology)Coenocytes Coenocytic Coevolution Coleochaetophyceae Collodaria Colony (biology)Colponemid Colponemida Commation Commensal Conifer Continental margin Contractile vacuole Contractile vacuoles Coprothermobacterota Coral bleaching Coralline algae Corals Cortical alveoli Coryphidium Cosmid Cosmopoliota Cretaceous Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event Crown-group Crown group Crucirhabdus minutus Cryogenian Cryosericota Cryptista Cryptogam Cryptomonad Cryptosporidiosis Ctenophora Cucumiforma Cutosea Cyanelle Cyanidioschyzon merolae Cyanobacteria Cyanobacterium Cyanobiont Cycad Cycliophora Cytoplasm Cytoplasmic Cytoskeleton Cytostome DNA barcoding DNA repair DNA sequencing Daniel Mazia David Harper (palaeontologist)David J. Patterson Day-night cycle Decomposer Decomposing Defective interfering particle Deferribacterota Deferrimicrobiota Deinococcota Described species Desiccation Desmid Developea Developmental biology Devonian Diaphoretickes Diatom Diatoms Dictyoglomus Dictyosphaera Dictyostelid Dicyemida Diffusion Digestive enzymes Dikaryon Dinocyst Dinocysts Dinodnavirus Dinoflagellate Dinoflagellates Dinokaryon Dinosterane Diphylleida Diplonemid Diplontic Discicristata Discoba Discosea Diskagma Disparia Diversity-generating retroelement Divimonas Domain (biology)Domestic cat Dormiibacterota Dunaliella salina Duplodnaviria EPPO Code Earth's history Ebriid Echinamoeba thermarum Echinoderm Ecological Ecological niche Ecosystem Ectasian Ediacaran Effluvivivacota Efunaviria Electron microscopy Electron transport chain Electryoneota Elulimicrobiota Elusimicrobiota Embryophyte Endogenous viral element Endomembrane system Endomyxa Endosome Endosymbiont Entamoeba Entoprocta Environmental DNA Enzyme Eocene Eosolena Epibiont Episome Ernst Haeckel Euglenid Euglenida Euglenids Euglenophyceae Euglenozoa Eukaryogenesis Eukaryote Eukaryotic algae Eukaryotic cell Eukaryotic flagellum Eumycetozoa Euplotidium Eurekaviridae Evolutionary radiation Excavata Exponential growth Extinction event Extraterrestrial life Extrusome Eyespot apparatus Facultative anaerobe Fatty acid Felid Fermentation Fermentibacterota Fertilization Fervidibacterota Fibrobacterota Fidelibacter Filamentous algae Filasterea Filozoa Filter feeder Filter feeders Fimbria (bacteriology)Flagella Flagellar apparatus Flagellate Flagellates Flagellum Flatworm Flood Floreoviria Fonticula Food chain Foraminifer Foraminifera Foraminifera test Foraminifers Fornicata Fosmid Fossil record Fragmentation (reproduction)Francevillian biota Freshwater Frontonia Frustule Fungal prion Fungi Fungus Fuselloviridae Fusobacteriota Fusulinida Galdieria sulphuraria Gamete Gametophyte Gaskiers glaciation Gastrotricha Gemmatimonadota Generalist (biology)Genetic recombination Genetic variation Geoarchaeota Geological features Geotaxis Gephyrocapsa Germinosphaera Giant clams Giant kelp Giardia Giardiasis Ginkgophyta Glaciations Glaucophyte Gliding motility Glissandra Glissomonad Global warming Globuloviridae Glomeromycota Glossary of protistology Glycosome Gnathostomulida Gnetophyta Golden algae Goldiibacteriota Grandilingulata Granomarginata Gravitational field Grazing (behaviour)Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event Great Oxidation Event Greek language Green algae Green sulfur bacteria Gregarine Grypania Gunflint chert Gut microbiome Guttaviridae Gyrista Habitats Hacrobia Hadarchaeota Hadean Hadesarchaeota Halocafeteria seosinensis Halophile Halspiviridae Haplontic Haplosporidia Haplozoon Haptista Haptophyta Haptophyte Harmful algal bloom Harmful algal blooms HeLa Heilongiota Heliozoa Heliozoans Hemichordate Hemimastigophora Heterokaryon Heterolobose Heterolobosea Heterotroph Heterotrophy Hinthialibacterota Holocene Holomycota Holozoa Holozoan Homeostasis Homology (biology)Hornwort Horodyskia Host (biology)Huangdiviridae Huberarchaeota Human pathogen Hydrogen gas Hydrogenedentota Hydrogenosome Hydrogenosomes Hydrothermal vent Hydrothermarchaeota Hydrothermota Hypertonic Hyphae Hyphal Hyphochytrid Hyphochytrids Hyphochytriomycetes Hypoxia (environmental)Iainarchaeota Ichthyosporea Imasidae Incertae sedis Independently evolved Infusoria Inner mitochondrial membrane Integrative and conjugative element International Chronostratigraphic Chart Introvertocystis Invertebrate Ion transporter Itzamnaviridae Jakobid Jakobida Jakobids Jeewanu John Hogg (biologist)Jurassic Kamera lens Kaonashia Kapaibacteriota Katablepharid Kelp Kinetoplast Kinetoplastid Kinetoplastids Kingdom (biology)Kingdom of life Kinorhyncha Kiritimatiellota Klebsormidiales Kleptoplasty Korilophyton Krebs cycle Krumholzibacteriota Kryptoniota LUCA Labyrinthulid Labyrinthulidae Labyrinthulomycetes Lamina (algae)Land plants Last eukaryotic common ancestor Late Devonian extinction Latescibacterota Leiosphaeridia Leishmania Leishmaniasis Lentisphaerota Lernaellota Life Life strategy Light microscopy Linnean system Lithacetigenota Liverwort Lomiviridae Lorica (biology)Loricifera Lourens Baas Becking Lunar cycle Lycophyte Lynn Margulis Lysis Macinerneyibacteriota Macroalgae Macrocyst Macrocystis Macronucleus Magosphaera Malaria Malawimonad Malawimonada Malawimonadida Malawimonadidae Mantamonadida Margulisiibacteriota Marine protists Mastigoneme Mastigont system Mastigophora Meiosis Melatonin Membrane transport Membrifera Meringosphaera Mesoproterozoic Mesostigmatophyceae Mesozoic Metamonad Metamonada Metamonads Meteora sporadica Methanobacteriota Methanogenic Methylomirabilota Michael Benton Michael D. Guiry Micrarchaeota Microaerophilic Microbial biogeography Microbial cyst Microbial dark matter Microbial ecology Microbial mats Microbiological culture Microbiology Microcaldus Micrognathozoa Microheliella Microheliella maris Microneme Micronucleus Microparticle Microsporidia Microtubular Microtubule Microtubule-severing ATPase Microtubule organizing center Microtubules Microvillus Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum Million years ago Minisyncoccota Mitochondria Mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial cristae Mitochondrial genome Mitochondrion Mitochondrion-related organelles Mitosis Mitosome Mitosomes Mixotroph Mixotrophy Model organism Moduliflexota Molecular clock Molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics Mollusca Molluscs Monocercomonoides Monophyletic Morphology (biology)Moss Moyeria Mucilage Mudflat Muiribacteriota Multicellular Multicellularity Multinucleate Multinucleated Mutualism (biology)Mycologist Mycoplasma laboratorium Mycoplasmatota Myxogastrid Myxomycete Myxozoa Myzocytosis Myzozoa Naegleria Naegleria fowleri Naldaviricetes Nanobacterium Nanobdellota Nanobe Nanohalarchaeota Nassellaria National Biodiversity Network Naturalist Navifusa Nebulidia Necrophagy Necrotrophy Nematode Nematomorpha Nemertea Neocallimastigomycota Neogene Neoparamoeba Neoproterozoic Nezhaarchaeota Nibbleridia Nipumfusiviridae Nitrogen Nitrogen fixation Nitroplast Nitrosediminicolota Nitrospinota Nitrospirota Nomenclature codes Non-cellular life Nuclear division Nucleariid Nucleariids Nucleomorph Obazoa Obelisk (biology)Obscuriviridae Ocean Ocelloid Ochrophyte Omnitrophota Onychophora Oomycete Oomycetes Opalina Opalinata Opaline Opalinid Operational taxonomic unit Opisthokont Opisthokonta Opisthokonts Opisthosporidia Ordovician Organelle Organic molecules Organism Orosirian Orthonectida Osmoregulation Osmotic shock Osmotroph Osmotrophy Otto Bütschli Otto Friedrich Müller Ourasphaira Ourasphaira giraldae Ovaliviridae Oxidative damage Oxidative stress Oxygen Oxymonad PH Paleobiology Database Paleogene Paleoproterozoic Paleozoic Palpitomonas Pancryptista Parabasalia Parabasalid Parakaryon Paramecium Paramecium aurelia Paraphyletic Paraphyly Parasite Parasitic Parasitism Parasitoid Parasitoids Parcunitrobacterota Parenchymatous Parvarchaeota Pellicle (biology)Peregrinibacteriota Periplast Perkinsea Perkinsela Perkinsozoa Permian Permian-Triassic extinction event Peroxisome Phaeocystis Phaeodarea Phaeodaria Phagemid Phagocytosis Phagosome Phagotroph Phagotrophy Phanerozoic Phoronid Phosphorus Photic zone Photoreceptors, microbial Photosymbiosis Photosynthesize Phototaxis Phototrophs Phototrophy Phragmoplast Phycobilisome Phycoplast Phyllomitus Phyllosphere Phylogenetic tree Phylogenomics Phytoflagellate Phytomonas Phytomyxea Picozoa Pinocytosis Pirsoniales Pit connection Placidozoa Placozoa Planctomycetota Plankton Planomonadidae Plant Plasmaviridae Plasmid Plasmodium Plasmodium (life cycle)Plasmodium falciparum Plastid Platysulcus Pleomoviria Plesiomorphic Ploidy Pluriformea Pneumatocyst Podiata Polydnaviriformidae Polyphyletic Polytomy Portalites Portogloboviridae Poseidoniota Pospiviroidae Potassium Potato blight Prasinodermophyta Preaxostyla Predation Predator Priapulida Primary endosymbiosis Primary producer Primary production Prion Prokaryote Prokaryotes Prokaryotic Propagules Proteinoid Proteobacteria Proterocladus Proterozoic Protest Protist (journal)Protist classification Protist locomotion Protistologist Protistology Protolagena Protosterol biota Prototaxites Protozoa Provora Prymnesium Pseudomonadota Pseudoparenchyma Pseudoparenchymatous Pseudopodia Pseudopodium Psychrophile Pteridophyte Pterospermopsimorpha Purple bacteria Pyrenoid Pyruvate Qinglongiota Qingshania Quadrisporites Quasibodo Quaternary Radiolaria Radiolarian Radiolarians Rafatazmia Ramathallus Rapaza viridis Red alga Red algae Red tide Reef Reproduce asexually Reproduction Retaria Retron Retroposon Retroviroid Reverse transcriptase-related cellular gene Rhizaria Rhizidiovirus Rhizoplast Rhizopoda Rhizosphere Rhodelphidia Rhodelphis Rhodogtaviriformidae Rhodothermota Rhoptry Rhyacian Riboviria Ribozyme Ribozyviria Rifleibacteriota Rigifilida Rotifer Rozellida Rumen Ruminant Runoff (hydrology)Ryujiniota SAR supergroup SSU rRNA Sagenista Sand star Saprotroph Saprotrophic nutrition Satellite (biology)Scale (anatomy)Scanning electron micrographs Schizofusa Schizogony Sea lettuce Seasons Seaweed Seaweeds Sediment Sensu stricto Sexual conjugation Sexual reproduction Shellfish poisoning Shuiyousphaeridium Siderian Silica cycle Silicoflagellate Silurian Simia annulare Singelaviria Single-cell sequencing Single-celled Skeleton Skoliomonas Sleeping sickness Slime mold Slime molds Sloth Small shelly fauna Snow Sodium Soil Soluble Sorocarp Specialist (biology)Species Species diversity Spiegelman's Monster Spiraviridae Spirochaete Spirotaenia Sponge Spongiamicota Spongiome Spores Sporocarp (fungus)Sporophyte Sporozoa Spumellaria Statherian Stem-group Stenian Stentor Stephanopogon Steptoean positive carbon isotope excursion Sterol Stonewort Stoneworts Stramenopile Stramenopiles Streptophyta Suctoria Sumerlaeota Supergroup (biology)Suspension (chemistry)Symbiont Symbiontid Symbionts Symbioses Synapomorphy Synchronization Syncytial Syndiniales Synergistota Syngamy Synurid Synurophyceae Sysuimicrobiota Tandem repeat Tangaroaeota Tappania Tardigrade Tawuia Taxonomic rank Taxonomy (biology)Taxonomy of protists Tectimicrobiota Telomerase reverse transcriptase Telonemia Termite Termites Terrestrial plant Test (biology)Testate amoebae Tetrahelia Tetraporina Tetraselmis Tetrasporophyte Thallophyte Thaspiviridae Theca Thermodesulfobacteriota Thermomicrobiota Thermophile Thermoproteota Thermotogae Thomas Cavalier-Smith Thraustochytrid Thuchomyces Tianyaibacteriota Tissue (biology)Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event Tolecusatellitidae Tonian Toxoplasma gondii Toxoplasmosis Trait (biological)Transposable element Transpoviron Tree of life (biology)Triassic Trichocyst Trichozoa Trophic level Trophic web Trophozoite Trypanosomatid Trypanosomatida Tsukubamonas Tuanshanzia Tubulinea Tunicaraptor UV light Ultrastructure Undinarchaeota Undulipodium Unicellular Vacuole Valeria lophostriata Vampyrella lateritia Vampyrellid Vampyrellids Varidnaviria Variosea Vegetative reproduction Vendobionta Vernanimalcula Verrucomicrobiota Viridiplantae Viridiraptoridae Viriform Viroid Virus Volvereviria Volvocaceae Vulcanimicrobiota Warnowiaceae Wikidata Wikispecies Wirthibacterota Xenacoelomorpha Xenobot Xenophyophore Xenosome Xigoviridae Yamazakiviridae Yeast Zhuqueibacterota Zhurongbacterota Zoochlorellae Zooflagellate Zooxanthellae Zygnematophyceae Zygomycota Zygote

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