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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
