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"Protist" as a Paraphyletic Wastebasket Grouping

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"Protist" names any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal, or fungus — a paraphyletic grouping, not a true clade.

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Some protist lineages are more related to animals or plants than to other protists, since the group excludes those descendants by definition.

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Protist classification revises as sequencing reveals new relationships — this course teaches its paraphyletic nature, not a fixed family tree.