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Kingdom:Eubacteria
Organisms in the Eubacteria
kingdom are unicellular
prokaryotes. Prokaryotes do
not have a membrane bound
nucleus or membrane bound
organelles. Eubacteria are
found in almost every
environment on Earth.
The cell wall of Eubacteria contain the chemical
peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan is the rigid, but flexible,
macromolecule that surrounds and protects individual
bacterial cells. Some eubacteria remain independent as
single cells and other group into colonies.
Eubacteria reproduce asexually or sexually through cell
division. Some eubacteria are autotrophic, making their
own food, and others are heterotrophic, taking in nutrients
from their environment. Eubacteria can cause various
diseases, from strep throat to Rocky Mountain spotted
fever, but they can also be very helpful. Lactobacillus is
used to help make foods like cheese and yogurt, and is
also present in the human digestive system.
Decomposing, or breaking down organic matter and
cycling nutrients are also important functions of
eubacteria.
Kingdom: Archaea
Organisms in the
Archaebacteria kingdom are
also unicellular prokaryotes.
They do not have a membrane
bound nucleus or organelles in
their single celled bodies.
Archaebacteria are similar in
size and shape to eubacteria. Archaebacteria also
have cell walls, but the cell walls of archaebacteria
are different because they do not contain
peptidoglycan.
Like eubacteria, archaebacterial reproduce asexually
or sexually through cell division. They can be
autotrophic, making their own food, or
heterotrophic, obtaining food from their
environment. Some archaebacteria can live in
extreme environments such as in hot springs,
extremely acidic environments, polar seas,
volcanoes, and even in extremely salty water.
Kingdom: Protista
Protists are not animals,
plants, or fungi because
they do not have all of
the characteristics
necessary to place them
in any of these
kingdoms. Kingdom
Protista was created to
include this diverse
group of more than 200,000 organisms. They do not have
much in common with each other except that they are
relatively simple eukaryotes. They are either unicellular
or multicellular but do not reach the tissue level of
organization.
Protists include organisms such as algae, amoebae,
protozoans, euglena, and slime molds. Protists live in
almost any environment that contains liquid water. Some
protists, such as algae, are photosynthetic autotrophs.
This means that they use sunlight to produce their own
food. Other protists are heterotrophs, obtaining nutrients
from their environment. Amoebae engulf, or take other
cells into their membrane. This process is called
phagocytosis. Most protists reproduce asexually, through
a form of cell division. Other protists engage in a form of
sexual reproduction.
Kingdom: Fungi
Fungi are a large group of
eukaryotic organisms that includes
such organisms as yeasts, molds,
and mushrooms. Most members of
Kingdom Fungi are multicellular
(ex. mushrooms). Some fungi
organisms are unicellular (ex. yeast). Fungal cells have
cell walls similar to bacteria, but they contain chitin
instead of peptidoglycan.
Fungi are heterotrophs; they take in nutrients by
absorbing them from their environment. They do this in
one of three ways. They can be decomposers and eat dead
organisms, or they can absorb nutrients from another
organism called a host. Sometimes the other organism is
harmed and sometimes it remains unharmed. Fungi can be
both harmful and helpful. They can quickly spread and
actually kill other organisms, but they are also the source
of compounds used as medicine.
Fungi reproduction is complex. Many fungi reproduce
both asexually and sexually at different stages in their life
cycles. Fungal reproduction often involves the production
and dispersal of spores.
Kingdom: Plantae
Organisms from the
Kingdom Plantae are
multicellular, eukaryotic
organisms. Plants have
characteristics that make
them different from other
eukaryotic organisms. One of the main differences is that they
are almost all autotrophic, meaning they are able to make their
own food. They do this through a process known as
photosynthesis, in which plants convert sunlight, water, and
carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen. Photosynthesis occurs in
the chloroplasts of a plant cell. Plants, like bacteria and fungi,
have rigid cell walls. They are however different in that they are
made from cellulose.
Over time, plant adaptations have resulted in a diversity of plant
characteristics. These characteristics are used to classify all
plants in the kingdom. The Kingdom Plantae is divided into 11
phyla.
Some species of plants reproduce sexually and some reproduce
asexually. In asexual reproduction, such as budding, an exact
copy of the parent is produced. Plant sexual reproduction can be
assisted by animals, as is the case with flowers and honeybees.
As the bees go from flower to flower collecting nectar, they
carry pollen, plant sex cells, with them and pollinate other
plants. Pollination is the first step in plant sexual reproduction.
Kingdom: Animalia
Animals are a group of
multicellular eukaryotic
organisms. The word animal
comes from the Latin word
animalis meaning “having
breath.” Animals are different
from other eukaryotes in a number of ways.
First, animal cells lack the rigid cell wall that plants,
fungi, and algae have. Instead, animal cells are
surrounded only by a cell membrane. Second, animals
are heterotrophic, meaning that they must ingest other
organisms in order to survive. Third, all animals are
motile, or able to move, at least during one stage of their
life cycle. The evolution of nerve and muscle tissues
enables animals to move in ways that are more complex
and faster than other organisms.
Nearly all animals undergo some form of sexual
reproduction, where specialized sex cells form and fuse
together to form zygotes, which develop into individuals.
Some animals are also capable of asexual reproduction,
through budding or forms of cloning. During embryonic
development, animal cells become tissue layers, which
become organs and systems.