Compare and contrast the physical characteristic of protozoans, yeast, and algae. Solution Protozoans Most of the protozoans possess the size range of 10 to 52 micrometers. They can also grow as large as 1mm and are visible through the microscope. They were previously included in the Protista family. Protozoans live in the aqueous environments and soil that range widely in the trophic levels. They move with flagella, cilia or pseudopodia. Protozoans absorb food through cell membranes. Sporozoans are non-motile forms. Amoeba is the protozoan which does not have structural components in its cell membrane. Protozoans are eukaryotic and possess developed organelles. Their cells do not possess cell walls. Yeast Some of the dry yeasts that are utilized in the alcoholic fermentation and baking are the agglomerates of dehydrated cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The powders prepared from the different yeasts vary in terms of the genetic strain and their specificity in the industrial application. The physical characteristics of these yeast powders differ. The powders of wine yeasts and dry baker’s yeast exposed to different levels of relative humidity are identified with the help of electron microscopy and mechanical analysis. The physical characteristics of the yeasts that were used to differentiate them include loose bulk density, compressibility, cohesion, recoverable work in compression, angle of internal friction, and residual asymptotic modulus after stress relaxation. Algae Algae are plants that do not have clear distinction in true roots, stem and leaves. They bear unicellular or multicellular sex organs that are visible outside. Algae live in aquatic, fresh water and marine water habitats. Algae that are terrestrial live in the soil, rocks, tree trunks and so on. Halophytic algae live in saline waters, epizoic algae grow on snails and fish. Endozoic algae live inside the animals and symbiotic algae live in association with the fungi, bryophytes, pteridophytes and gymnosperms. There are unicellular or colonial forms of algae or thallus. They exist as filaments, siphons, and parenchymatous forms. The various pigments present in the algae include chlorophyll, carotenoids and phycobilins. The reserved food materials of different algae include cyonophycean starch, starch, floridean starch, laminarin and mannitol. Size of unicellular alga is about 3micrometers. Multicellular algae vary in their size from 50micrometers to 1mm..