Name: Types of Microorganisms
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 3 min 28 s
Description: Bacteria, archaea, protozoa, algae, fungi, and viruses have something in common. Different types of microorganisms are found in our environment. Learn more.

Question

What are the basic features of protozoa, fungi, algae, virus and bacteria?

Accepted Answer

The basic features of protozoa are:

Protozoa are unicellular, microscopic, and are heterotrophic organisms. These do not have a cell wall and therefore, come in many shapes.

Protozoans usually lack the capacity for photosynthesis as they lack chlorophyll, and they move independently by one of the three types of locomotor organelles- flagella, cilia, and, pseudopodia.

The basic features of Algae are:

The algae are plant-like organisms, and they undergo photosynthesis as they contain chlorophyll.

These are unicellular and also multicellular with more complex structures.

Algae may be found as free-floating phytoplankton, which forms the base of food webs in large water bodies.

The basic features of fungi are:

Fungi are plant-like containing a cell body but not chlorophyll and therefore, they do not undergo photosynthesis.

Fungi are unicellular (yeast) and also multicellular (molds) organisms. These have filaments or thread-like appearance called hyphae.

The basic features of the virus are:

Viruses are intracellular obligate parasites and can undergo reproduction in the presence of the host body. They are smaller than bacteria and are only visible through an electron microscope.

They damage or kill the cells that they infect, causing disease in the infected organisms.

The basic features of bacteria are:

Bacteria are simple rod-shaped (bacillus) or spherical cells (coccus) about 1 micron in size without a definite nucleus.

Bacteria exist in a single cell or I the form of a chain or a group of cells. These are unicellular prokaryotic organisms.

What are the basic features of protozoa, fungi, algae, virus and bacteria?

Important Questions on Microorganisms: Friend and Foe

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