The Kingdom of Protists
By Jason Wan
About Protists
Paramecium
Animal-like
Diatoms
Plant-like
Euglena
Animal-like
Harmful and Helpful Protists
Some protists are harmful and some are harmless. Some harmful protists are protozoans, but not all protozoans are harmful. An example of a harmful protozoan is the Giardia. When a beaver goes to a stream to drink, it deposits these Giardia. If a human, such as a hiker comes by and drinks from the stream, the Giardia will attach to the hiker's intestines. The Giardia then feeds and reproduces. The hiker will get a disease called hiker's disease. This disease's symptoms are serious intetinal conditions. As I said before, not all protists are harmful. For instance, one type of protozoan with flagella lives in the intestines of a termite. The protozoan eats the wood and produces sugar for itself and the termite. The termite protects the protozoan and to return the favor, the protozoan produces sugar for the termite.