Living World and Classification of Microbes

Vocabulary flashcards covering the history, criteria, and categories of the five kingdom classification of living organisms and microbes.

Biological classification

The process of dividing living organisms into groups and subgroups.

Carl Linnaeus

Scientist who in 1735 classified the living world into 2 kingdoms: Vegetabilia (Plantae) and Animalia.

Ernst Haeckel

Scientist who in 1866 classified the living world into 3 kingdoms: Protista, Plantae and Animalia.

Edouard Chatton

Scientist who in 1925 classified the living world into 2 groups: Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes.

Herbert F. Copeland

Scientist who in 1938 classified the living world into 4 kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Plantae and Animalia.

Robert Harding Whittaker

Scientist who in 1969 classified the living world into 5 kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia.

Complexity of cell structure

A criterion for Whittaker's five kingdom classification divided into Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic types.

Complexity of organisms

A criterion for Whittaker's five kingdom classification divided into Unicellular and Multicellular types.

Mode of nutrition

A criterion for Whittaker's five kingdom classification that includes Autotrophic (Photosynthetic plants), Saprophytic (Fungi), and Heterotrophic (Animals).

Lifestyle

A criterion for Whittaker's five kingdom classification that categorizes organisms as Producers (Plants), Consumers (Animals), and Decomposers (Fungi).

Phylogenetic relationships

A criterion for Whittaker's five kingdom classification based on evolutionary progression from Prokaryotic to Eukaryotic and Unicellular to Multicellular.

Five kingdom classification flowchart

Diagram depicting the division of living organisms into Prokaryotes (Unicellular: Monera) and Eukaryotes (Unicellular: Protista; Multicellular: Fungi, Plantae, Animalia).

Kingdom Monera

A kingdom consisting of organisms that are unicellular, microscopic, autotrophic or heterotrophic, and prokaryotic (lacking a distinct nucleus or other membrane bound cell organelles).

Examples of Kingdom Monera

All types of bacteria and blue green algae.