How are viruses, bacteria, and protists different?
Difference between viruses and bacteria – the method of reproduction. Bacterium is a completely self-contained and self-reproducing unit. A virus, on the other hand, cannot reproduce without a living host. Difference is there between bacteria and protists – distinction is founded on the complexity of a cell’s organization. The cellular organization of bacteria is particularly simple -they do not have membranes binding their nuclear material- and for this reason they are also named prokaryotes (“before-nucleus”). The cellular organization of protists is more complex -they have a membrane-bound nucleus (and other organelles distinct from the cytoplasm)- and they are therefore called eukaryotes (“true-nucleus”). Animals, plants and fungi, being derived from protists, are also eukaryotes.
