Classification of Plants and Living Organisms Practice Flashcards

Practice flashcards covering the biological classification of living things, the five-kingdom system, and the specific life processes and structures of Monera, Protista, and Fungi.

What is the definition of classification in biology?

Classification is the system of groupining organisms together on the basis of certain common features, specifically arranging living organisms into groups based on their similarities and differences.

What are the four primary advantages of biological classification?

1. Characteristics of a whole group can be understood by studying a few members. 2. It makes the study systematic and highlights relationships between organisms. 3. It helps in identifying and placing organisms into groups. 4. It provides an idea about the evolution from simpler to more complex forms.

Who proposed the five-kingdom classification and in what year?

Robert Whittaker proposed the five-kingdom classification in 1969.

Why was the classification of Euglena considered an anomaly in the original two-kingdom system?

Euglena contains chlorophyll like plants but lacks a cellulose cell wall and possesses an eye-spot like structure similar to animals.

What are the key characteristics of Kingdom Monera?

Microscopic, unicellular organisms with a cell wall but no nucleus. They possess a poorly developed nucleoid containing genetic material.

Which kingdom includes single-celled organisms with a well-developed nucleus, such as Amoeba and Paramecium?

Kingdom Protista

What defines the nutritional mode of Kingdom Fungi?

They are saprotrophs, meaning they lack chlorophyll and depend on dead or decaying matter for food.

What are the defining features of Kingdom Plantae?

Multicellular eukaryotes with cellulose cell walls and chlorophyll, functioning as autotrophs through photosynthesis.

How are animals categorized based on the presence of a backbone?

Invertebrates (animals without a backbone) and vertebrates (animals with a backbone).

What are the four common shapes of bacteria and their descriptions?

1. Coccus: spherical or ovoid. 2. Bacillus: rod-shaped. 3. Spirillum: spiral-shaped. 4. Vibrio: comma-shaped.

What is the function of the nucleoid in a bacterium cell?

It is the region where nuclear material (chromatin material) is organized, as it is not bound by a nuclear membrane.

How do bacteria store reserve food?

Reserve food in bacteria is stored as glycogen.

What are some medicinal applications of bacteria mentioned in the text?

Manufacture of antibiotics like Streptomycin and the preparation of vaccines for diseases such as polio, tuberculosis, and small pox.

Which bacterium is responsible for the curdling of milk and what is the process?

Lactobacillus; it converts milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid.

What is the role of Rhizobium bacteria in agriculture?

They live in the root nodules of leguminous plants, trapping atmospheric nitrogen and converting it into nitrates that plants can absorb.

Define the term 'symbiosis' as described in the context of Rhizobium and legumes.

A relationship wherein two organisms live in harmony, with each benefiting from the relationship.

Which bacterium is the causative agent for Typhoid?

Salmonella typhi

What is the specific name of the bacteria that causes Tuberculosis (TB)?

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

What is the organ of locomotion in an Amoeba?

The pseudopodium (meaning 'false foot'), which is a finger-like projection formed by the extension of cytoplasm.

How does an Amoeba ingest food?

It extends pseudopodia to surround a food particle, which then fuse to form a food vacuole where digestion occurs.

What is the primary nitrogenous waste product of Amoeba and how is it eliminated?

Ammonia, which is eliminated through the general body surface by diffusion or expelled via the contractile vacuole.

How does an Amoeba reproduce during favorable conditions?

By binary fission ($binary = two$; $fission = division$), where the nucleus and cell divide into two independent daughter cells.

Under what conditions does an Amoeba form a cyst and reproduce by multiple fission?

During unfavorable environmental conditions like ponds drying, extreme cold, or extreme heat.

What is the structure of the body of a bread mould (Fungi)?

It is made of thread-like structures called hyphae, a network of which is called a mycelium.

How does bread mould obtain nutrition?

Through a saprophytic mode of nutrition where hyphae secrete digestive juices onto the bread to convert starch into simple sugar (glucose), which is then absorbed.

Identify the reproductive structures in bread mould.

Sporangiophores (erect hyphae) and sporangium (rounded bodies at the tip containing spores).