Protista
Protists are eukaryotic organisms that cannot be classified as a plant, animal, or fungus. They are mostly unicellular, but some, like algae, are multicellular. Kelp, or 'seaweed,' is a large multicellular protist that provides food, shelter, and oxygen for numerous underwater ecosystems.
The term protista, meaning "the first of all or primordial" was introduced in 1866 by German scientist Ernst Haeckel. He suggested Protista as a third taxonomic kingdom, in addition to Plantae and Animalia, consisting of all "primitive forms" of organisms, including bacteria (International Microbiology, 1999).
Characteristics
Protists are eukaryotic organisms that cannot be classified as a plant, animal, or fungus. They are mostly unicellular, but some, like algae, are multicellular. Kelp, or 'seaweed,' is a large multicellular protist that provides food, shelter, and oxygen for numerous underwater ecosystems. Even though kelp resembles a plant, it is not classified into Kingdom Plantae because it lacks the cellular complexity of plant cells.
Importance
Protists are responsible for a variety of human diseases including malaria, sleeping sickness, amoebic dysentery and trichomoniasis. Malaria in humans is a devastating disease. It is caused by five species of the parasite Plasmodium, which are transmitted to humans by female Anopheles mosquitoes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The species Plasmodium falciparum infects red blood cells, multiplies rapidly and destroys them. Infection can also cause red blood cells to stick to the walls of small blood vessels. This creates a potentially fatal complication called cerebral malaria (according to the CDC). The World Health Organization (WHO) states that Plasmodium falciparum is the most prevalent and lethal to humans. According to their recent malaria fact sheet, in 2015 there were an estimated 438,000 deaths due to malaria in the world, the majority of which (90 percent) occurred in Africa. Certain strides have been made in reducing the rates of incidence (occurrence of new cases) and mortality rates in part by supplying insecticide treated mosquito nets, spraying for mosquitoes and improving diagnostics. Between 2000 and 2015 the rate of incidence fell by 37 percent globally and mortality rates fell by 60 percent globally. The WHO has a goal of eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries by 2030.
Protists also play an important role in the environment. According to a 2009 review article published on the Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (eLS) website, nearly 50 percent of photosynthesis on Earth is carried out by algae. Protists act as decomposers and help in recycling nutrients through ecosystems, according to a 2002 review article published in the journal ACTA Protozoologica. In addition, protists in various aquatic environments, including the open water, waterworks and sewage disposal systems feed upon, and control bacterial populations (ACTA Protozoologica, 2002). "If you took all the protists out of the world, the ecosystem would collapse really quickly," Simpson said.