Question

Which of the following is (are) true of chromists in comparison with protozoans?

Chromists are less likely to have cilia or flagella.

Chromists are more likely to have specialized structures.

Chromists form colonies but protozoans do not.

All of these are true.

Answer 1

Only the second statement is true.

- Chromists are more likely to have specialized structures (many are multicellular algae — e.g. kelps, brown algae — with tissue differentiation).
- Statement 1 is false: chromists often have flagella (stramenopiles typically have two unequal flagella; diatoms and other chromists can have motile stages).
- Statement 3 is false: protozoans can form colonies or aggregates (e.g. slime molds/aggregative amoebae and some other protists), so it’s not correct to say protozoans never form colonies.