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Flagellate

Flagellates are single-celled protists with one or more flagella, whip-like organelles often used for propulsion. Originally they were grouped together as the class or phylum Mastigophora, but the different lines do not appear particularly closely related. These include:

It is quite possible the ancestral eukaryote was a flagellate, and if not they appeared fairly early on in their development. The animals, fungi, and plants are all derived from various lines of flagellates - something reflected in the presence of flagellate cells in most forms, whose ultrastructure is a useful guide to determining relatioships.



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