Protists are divided in three distinct groups as they differ in their mode of nutrition. Is that true?
1 Answer
Jan 3, 2018
The statement is true: these groups are holozoic, autotrophic and saprozoic.
Explanation:
- Protozoa are predatory or holozoic (many protozoa are parasitic), like animals and digest the food in food vacuole. Type of food varies widely as habitat of protozoa varies. For example a malarial parasite feeds on cytolasm of RBC while Paramoecium feeds on aquatic bacteria and algae. Then there are Opalina which absorbs food from cloaca of frog where they live.
- Algal protists are associated with chlorophyll, so these are self dependent for food. These are all photosynthetic and traps solar energy in food.
- Slime molds are saprozoic, i.e. absorb nutrients from rotting organic materials found in nature.
