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One example of a product made from a plant-like protist is carrageenan, which is derived from red seaweed. Carrageenan is commonly used as a thickening agent in food and pharmaceutical products due to its ability to bind with water and create a gel-like consistency.
Protist cell walls can be made of a variety of materials including cellulose, silica, or chitin. The composition of the cell wall depends on the specific species of protist.
Plantlike protists, such as algae, are used to make various products such as food supplements like spirulina and chlorella, cosmetics, and biofuels. Algal blooms can also be used to help in wastewater treatment.
Part of the definition of both the plant and animal kingdom is multicellularity. Technically, no plant or animal under the current definition can be unicellular. However, the protist kingdom contains one-celled organisms with plant or animal characteristics. In fact, animal-like protists and plant-like protists used to be referred to as animals or plants. Many types of green algae are single-celled, as are amoeba and paramecia.
Glucose is used as an energy source for the plant or stored for later use. Oxygen is released as a byproduct into the atmosphere.
Marijuana or cannabis is made from the leaves, flowers, and buds of the Cannabis indica plant. It is commonly used for recreational and medicinal purposes.