Introduction to Five Kingdoms
The process of grouping living organisms into convenient categories based on simple characters is known as Biological Classification.
Firstly Two kingdom classification was done into Plantia and Animalia.
· Plantia: Plants are autotrophs. They have cell wall and they do not move
· Animalia: Animals are heterotrophus. They do not have cell wall. They can move from one place to another.
But later it was found that two kingdom classification was not sufficient
Why?
Because in two kingdom
1. Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes were grouped together.
2. Heterotrophs & Autotrophs were together.
3. No difference between unicellular and multicellular
4. Simple organisms were placed along with higher organism.
Then another classification was made by R.H Whittaker in 1959 which was Five kingdom classification.
What was the Main criteria for classification?
Answer:
1. Complexity of cell structure (prokaryotes/ eukaryote )
2. Body organization (unicellular/ multicellular)
3. Mode of nutrition (autotrophic / heterotrophic / holozoic)
4. Life style ( producers / consumers / decomposers)
5. Phylogenic relationships (revolutionary history)
Name those five kingdoms.
Answer: Five kingdoms are
1. Kingdom Monera (bacteria ) – prokaryotic unicellular
2. Kingdom Protista ( amoeba ) – eukaryotic unicellular
3. Kingdom Fungi - multicellular eukaryotic
4. Kingdom Plantae - multicellular eukaryotic
5. Kingdom Animalia – multicellular eukaryotic
Difference between five kingdoms
Characters |
|
Protista |
Fungi |
Plantae |
Animalia |
Cell type |
Prokaryotic |
Eukaryotic |
Eukaryotic |
Eukaryotic |
Eukaryotic |
Cell wall |
Noncellulosic |
Present in |
Present |
Present |
Absent |
Nuclear |
Absent |
Present |
Present |
Present |
Present |
Body |
Cellular |
Cellular |
Multiceullar/ |
Tissue/ |
Tissue/organ/
organ system |
Mode of |
Autotrophic |
Autotrophic |
Heterotrophic |
Autotrphic (Photosynthetic) |
Heterotrophic
|
|
|
|
|
|
|