Final answer:
Protists can obtain food in different ways. Plant-like protists, such as algae, can make their own food through photosynthesis. Other protists ingest or absorb food from their environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Protists can obtain food in different ways. Some protists, such as algae, are plant-like and can make their own food through photosynthesis by using the energy of the sun. These protists are called photosynthetic protists. They are autotrophs and are major producers in aquatic ecosystems. Other protists, like ingestive protists, engulf bacteria and other small particles, forming a food vacuole and digesting the food inside. Some protists also absorb food molecules across their cell membranes, similar to how fungi obtain food.