Biology / Unit 9 Bio 2017 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Protist Ecology: Producers, Decomposers, and Symbionts
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The idea
Protists function as primary producers, decomposers, and symbionts across ecosystems, with photosynthetic protists contributing a major share of the world's photosynthesis.
In practice
Photosynthetic dinoflagellates called zooxanthellae live inside coral polyps, supplying energy the coral uses to build its calcium-carbonate skeleton.
Where people slip
Losing a protist symbiont can collapse its host's role, as in coral bleaching; sinking rhizarian shells also lock carbon away from the atmosphere.
Your place on the trail
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