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Kingdoms of Life: Basic Characteristics
Kingdom Plantae
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Cells have a membrane bound nucleus (eukaryotic)
Multicellular
Plant cells are specialized to carry out specific processes and functions
Can reproduce sexually (via pollination) or asexually (vegetative propagation)
Cells have a membrane AND a cell wall made of cellulose
Cells contain chloroplast and the pigment chlorophyll
Cells contain ribosomes
Plant structure: roots, stems, leaves and a vascular system to transfer nutrients
throughout the plant
Autotrophs that are the main producers in almost all food webs and food chains
Carnivorous plants (ex. venus fly trap, sundew, pitcher plant) are considered
heterotrophs since they eat insects, but they are essentially still autotrophic and can
survive without consuming insects. Click here to learn more.
Kingodm Animalia
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Cells have a membrane bound nucleus (eukaryotic)
Multicellular
Animal cells are specialized to carry out specific
processes and functions
Most reproduce sexually (2 parents)
Some reproduce asexually (regeneration, budding)
Cells have a membrane (also called plasma membrane)
Cells contain lysosomes and ribosomes
Heterotrophs
Examples: Mammals, Fish, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians,
etc
Kingdom Fungi
Kingdom Protista
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These are organisms that cannot be classified simply in any one of the other kingdoms
(the leftovers)
Can be unicellular and microscopic (diatoms, dinoflagellates) or multicellular and
macroscopic (kelp)
Cells have a nucleus (eukaryotic)
Live in wet places
Protozoa, a group of protists, were once thought to be animals since they can move,
have cell membranes, and are heterotrophs. Examples include amoeba, paramecium,
plasmodium, and cilliates
Diatoms have hard shells made of silica (silica is also used to make glass)
Diatoms are responsible for creating one-fifth of the planet's oxygen
Slime molds, once mistaken for fungi, are decomposers that can also produce spores.
However, these unicellular organisms have the unique capability of coming together to
form a single multicellular slime mold
Unicellular protists with a cell membrane reproduce asexually via binary fission
Have both symbiotic and parasitic relationships with other organisms (dinoflagellate
population explosions poison marine life and cause red tides)
Use flagella (one long tail) and cillia (many small legs like eyelases) to move around
(only the heterotrophs)
Can be heterotrophic (amoeba) or autotrophic (algae)
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Multicellular simple organisms (Bread yeast is an
exception; it is unicellular)
Cells have one or more nuclei (eukaryotic)
Cell walls are made of chitin, a substance also found in
the shells of lobster and other crustaceans
Reproduce asexually (via spores and budding) or
asexualy (via hyphae fusing or by forming a sac)
Body structure of cap fungi: cap, gills, stalk, mycellium
(hyphae)
Their niche on the planet is as decomposers and
recyclers of nutrients
Some are edible (truffles, mushrooms, yeast), while
others are toxic (death cap mushroom)
3 types of fungi: mold (ex. bread mold), sac fungi (yeast,
truffles), and club fungi (mushrooms)
Like plants, fungi cannot move and although they have
cell walls, they lack the roots, stems and leaves that
would make them plants
Mushrooms are the common name given to the fruiting
bodies of club fungi
Alexander Fleming discovered that Penicillin notatum - a
type of mold - kills Staphylococcus aureus (bacteria)
Heterotrophic organisms that digest their food before they
eat by producing digestive acids and enzymes
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