What are the important characteristics of phylum Protista?
Important characteristics of Protists:
(i) They are unicellular organisms.
(ii) They are either free-living or parasitic.
(iii) They possess a well-defined nucleus, hence, are eukaryotes.
(iv) They use flagella and cilia for movement.
(v) They exhibit both autotrophic and heterotrophic modes of nutrition. Euglena exhibits a mixotrophic mode of nutrition; it can obtain nutrition from both autotrophic and heterotrophic modes.
(vi) Protists live mostly in aquatic and moist environments.