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Identification
Members of the Protista kingdom classification are called protists. All protists are eukaryotes, meaning they have a complete cell structure, which includes a cell wall, nucleus and support structures. Protists are subdivided by which group they most resemble: animal, plant or fungus. The majority of protists are unicellular, meaning they consist of a single cell, which can be large enough in some cases for the naked eye to see it. The larger cells usually contain multiple nuclei. However, each subdivision has examples of multicellular members, leading some scientists to use the term "Protoctista" to better describe the group. Funguslike protists mostly resemble fungi and can be subdivided into three further subdivisions consisting of water molds, downy mildews and slime molds.
Water Molds
Water molds usually resemble eggs and live predominantly in aquatic environments such as oceans, ponds and pools. Since they cannot make their own food, they require the energy that other organisms create to survive. The primary role water molds take on for acquiring energy is as parasites, pulling nutrients from the scales of fish, or the eggs and skin of aquatic organisms like frogs. Other members of the water mold family act as parasites on invertebrates such as rotifers, nematodes and arthropods.
Downy Moldew
Downy mildew live primarily in moist terrestrial environments. Much like water molds, which they join to create a group called Oomycota, they exist on energy stolen from other life forms. Downy mildew's prime targets, however, are primarily flowering plant species. Farmers know downy mildew as a pest to corn, cabbage and many other crop plants, but often mistakenly call it a fungus. A species of this protist, Phytophthora infestans, was responsible for the Great Potato Famine of 1846 in Ireland, and another, Plasmopara viticola, almost wiped out the French winemaking industry during the 1870s.
Slime Molds
Slime molds are single-celled organisms found predominantly in terrestrial climates. They generally live in moist environments, though they can form colonies when conditions become less hospitable to their survival. Slime molds, like other funguslike protists, are incapable of making energy on their own. They usually take nutrients from the decay of rotting wood. Because of their role in helping decompose plant matter, slime molds are usually considered the most beneficial of the funguslike protists.