sentence: Many protists are part of the plankton and are very important for the ecosystem.
sentences_before: Most protists are very small. Some algae are protists, if they are single-celled.
sentences_after: The cells found in protists may be extremely complex, and are often little understood. It is now possible to do DNA sequencing, and a number of protists have been analysed. The results show that the Protista is not a monophyletic group. It is paraphyletic, and not a single clade. The taxonomy of the Protista is therefore rather confused.
concept_name: protist
headings: Protist
categories: Cell biology