Biology / Unit 9 Bio 1981 short lesson, about 20 seconds
"Protist" as a Paraphyletic Wastebasket Grouping
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The idea
"Protist" names any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal, or fungus — a paraphyletic grouping, not a true clade.
In practice
Some protist lineages are more related to animals or plants than to other protists, since the group excludes those descendants by definition.
Where people slip
Protist classification revises as sequencing reveals new relationships — this course teaches its paraphyletic nature, not a fixed family tree.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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