Video Transcript
The picture provided shows
Amoeba proteus, an organism belonging to the kingdom Protista. Which of the following statements
describes the characteristics of organisms belonging to the kingdom Protista? (A) Organisms are prokaryotic,
autotrophic, and multicellular. (B) Organisms are eukaryotic, they
contain membrane-bound organelles like a nucleus, and the majority are
unicellular. (C) Organisms are prokaryotic, so
they do not contain a membrane-bound nucleus, and they are all unicellular. Or (D) organisms are eukaryotic,
they all contain photosynthetic pigments, and the majority are multicellular.
This question is asking us to
recall the characteristics common to members of the protist kingdom. We are provided with a micrograph
of an Amoeba proteus. Amoeba are members of the protist
kingdom. So examining one may help us to
recall what characteristics are common to all protists.
First, let’s recall that
prokaryotes are organisms that do not possess a nucleus. Eukaryotic organisms are organisms
that are made of cells that do possess a nucleus. In the micrograph, we see a large
round organelle. This is the nucleus of the
amoeba. This means that our amoeba is a
eukaryote.
Next, let’s recall that unicellular
organisms are organisms that are composed of just one cell. Multicellular means that an
organism is composed of many cells. The amoeba in the picture is
unicellular, which is also true of most protists. However, some protists are
multicellular, like seaweed.
Using this information, we can
conclude that the statement that describes the characteristics of organisms
belonging to the kingdom Protista is “Organisms are eukaryotic, they contain a
membrane-bound nucleus, and the majority are unicellular.”
