Chap 8: Classification of Organisms

Whittakers 5 Kingdom system of classification

Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

Kingdom Monera

Bacteria. ~10,000 species and ~4 million on Earth. Found everywhere.

Kingdom Monera Role

Some are pathogenic, some decompose dead organisms, returning minerals to the soil

Kingdom Monera Features

Microscopic, unicellular, no distinct nucleus, no membrane enclosed organelle, asexual reproduction through binary fission

Kingdom Protista

60,000 species including algae (plankton), single celled protozoans (amoeba), fungus-like slime. Found in water environments

Kingdom Protista Role

Play a role in energy and O2 production by photosynthesis

Kingdom Protista features

Have a true nucleus and typically unicellular

Kingdom Fungi

~100,000 identified, 1/10 existing. Mushrooms, moulds, yeasts. Found on dead and decaying matter.

Kingdom Fungi Role

Essential for life on earth, plants depend on fungi to absorb nutrients, economic value, pathogenic fungi

Kingdom Fungi Features

Heterotroph, (get food), multicellular, cell walls of chitin, asexually reproduce with spores.

Kingdom Plantae

250,000 species. Sub-divided into non-flowering (e.g. pine tree), and flowering (e.g. grasses, flowers)

Kingdom Plantae Role

Food for herbivores and omnivores, produce O2 gas due to photosynthesis

Kingdom Plantae Features

Complex multicellular organisms, photosynthetic autotrophs, cell walls of cellulose, large vacuoles for water storage, non-motile, reproduce sexually and asexually

Kingdom Animalia

Includes sponges/jellyfish, worms, insects, vertebrates (animals with backbone).

Kingdom Animalia features

Multicellular, heterotrophic, no cell wall, nervous system and muscular system, typically reproduce sexually, large gametes