Within the six kingdoms, there is an outlier from Archaea, Bacteria, Animalia, Fungi, and Plantae. Protista are a diverse collection of single and multicellular eukaryotic organisms that much resemble, but are otherwise unlike, organisms from the other eukaryotic kingdoms. Animal-like protists resemble animals, while plant-like protists resemble plants, but both are not animals or plants. What are fungus-like protists? Fungus-like protists function ecologically as decomposers just like fungi and visibly resemble fungi, but are not true fungi
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed.
Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons.
Try it now
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Why is a protozoan considered animal-like, plant-like, or fungus-like, if they are not classified as plants, animals, or fungi? Before genetic sequencing methods were used to sort and organize phylogenetic ranks, protists were categorized based on shared traits with other organisms. Initially, scientists thought fungus-like protists were a type of fungus because, like fungi, they produce spores, are heterotrophs, and subsist on decaying organic matter for food. How are fungus-like protists classified now? Like other protists, fungus-like protists are all classified in the kingdom Protista.
Protists can also be classified based on their characteristics, for instance, how they obtain food from the environment. Plant-like protists are autotrophs, which means they make their own food via photosynthesis. Animal-like protists are heterotrophs, which means they obtain their food from eating other organisms. Fungus-like protists are also heterotrophic, but some may also be osmotrophic and absorb their nutrients, like true fungi.
So, which protist exhibits both animal-like and plant-like characteristics? Mixotrophs are a type of protist that can get their food from either sunlight or by eating other organisms and are both heterotrophic, like animals, and autotrophic, like plants. None of the fungus-like protists are mixotrophic, however. Fungus-like protists' characteristics and common traits include:
Fungus-like protists are now classified in the kingdom Protista, not Fungi. Although heterotrophic, like animals, fungus-like protists are not classified as animal-like because their characteristics more closely resemble fungi, not animals. So, which organism is an animal-like protist in that case? An example of an animal-like protist is an amoeba. Amoebas are predatory single-celled eukaryotes that eat smaller organisms like bacteria. They behave a lot like tiny animals that live in the water and swim around looking for food. Fungus-like protists do not behave like animals but do behave a lot like true fungi. They are categorized into three types. What are the 3 types of fungus-like protists?
Water molds are distinct from fungi because their cell walls are made of cellulose, not chitin. They live in aquatic or moist environments, and are responsible for some types of bathroom mildew, while others may be parasitic on animals or plants. Water molds also include several disease-causing plant pathogens called downy mildews. Downy mildews are particularly harmful to crop plants, including herbs, grapes, berries, pumpkin, squashes, and cucumbers. They cause rot and damage to leaves, stems, and branches, and eventually impact the whole plant.
 |
Slime molds live on vegetation, detritus, or wood, and are further characterized as either acellular or cellular. The cellular slime molds are comprised of numerous single-celled organisms that clump up and live together in massive colonies. The acellular, or plasmodial slime molds, are single-celled protists that clump and fuse to form a massive multinucleated cell. In other words, as plasmodial slime molds come together, they lose their individual identities as their nuclei become part of a massive fusion of numerous other slime molds that all share the space of one massive cell. Slime molds are different than fungi in this respect because they are multinucleated and lack cell walls in their vegetative state.
 |
Fungus-like protists greatly benefit the environment when they consume detritus and other decaying matter. Like fungi, they are important organisms that contribute to recycling nutrients in food webs and help balance ecosystems within their specific niches. However, some fungus-like protists are pathogens responsible for a variety of plant and animal diseases. Two fungus-like protists examples include:
Protists (kingdom Protista) are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms that are similar to, but phylogenetically distinct from, organisms in the kingdoms Animalia, Plantae, and Fungi. Fungus-like protists share characteristics with fungi and resemble fungi, but they are not true fungi. Fungus-like protists were once categorized as fungi before genetic analysis became commonplace. They are similar to fungi because they look like fungi, are heterotrophic, produce spores, and function ecologically as decomposers. Fungus-like protists can be classified into three major categories that include water and slime molds.
Water molds live in moist or aquatic environments. They are different from fungi because they lack chitin in their cell walls which are instead made of cellulose. Some water molds are significant plant pathogens, like downy mildews on grapes and late blight, which caused the Great Irish Potato Famine. Water molds may also be responsible for some types of bathroom mildew. Slime molds include cellular slime molds and multinucleated acellular slime molds. Cellular slime molds cluster together to form massive colonies of many single-celled slime molds, whereas acellular slime molds cluster together to form one massive cell with many nuclei. Slime molds also look and behave a lot like fungi but, unlike true fungi, they do not have cell walls in their vegetative state. Some acellular slime molds, like Physarum polycephalum, have exhibited intelligence and memory despite the fact they have no brain or nervous system.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Fungus-like protists are said to be like fungi because they are heterotrophic and primarily function as decomposers in various ecosystems. However, although some fungus-like protists are saprophytes, others may be parasitic or engulf food by phagocytosis.
Fungus-like protists include decomposers that serve similar functions in environmental food webs as fungi, which are also decomposers. However, there are different ways that fungus-like protists may obtain their energy heterotrophically, such as by phagocytosis or saprophytically.
The fungus-like protists can be categorized into three groups that include water and slime molds. These groups include the water molds, the acellular slime molds, and the cellular slime molds.
Fungus-like protists are all heterotrophic, which means they obtain food from other living organisms. They are also eukaryotes, which means they have a nucleus and many organelles. Fungus-like protists also produce spores when they reproduce.
Already a member? Log In
Back
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
