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The Five Kingdoms - Classification
Biologist today have classified and divided all living things into
five groups they call Kingdoms. These kingdoms are based on
how living things are the same and how they are different. It is
important that you understand that biologists are still learning
about our world, and are making new discoveries every single
day. As our knowledge about the world around us improves,
scientists might find a better way to organize and classify life. As
a result, these five kingdoms may someday change.
The five kingdoms currently accepted by most (but not all) scientists are the Monera Kingdom, the Protist Kingdom, the Fungi Kingdom, the Plant Kingdom, and the Animal Kingdom. Monera
The Monera Kingdom consists of unicellular lifeforms. Unicellular means
that they only have one cell. Moneran cells are far simpler and more basic
than the cells of other lifeforms. These cells have no nucleus.
Bacteria are commonly placed in the Monera Kingdom. Monera are considered by many scientists to be the oldest lifeforms on Earth, and the ancestors of all the other types of life that have since evolved Protists
The Protista Kingdom consists of unicellular lifeforms (lifeforms with only
one cell) who have a nucleus. The primary difference between protists and
monera is that protists are more complex, having a nucleus.
Many protists appear to be both plant and animal. Like plants, they are
green, and can create their own food. However, like animals, they have
moving body parts and are able to move around their environments. You
can see why scientists no longer classify living things into two kingdoms.
Into which would you put these unique organisms?
Biologists believe that ancient protists were the ancestors of plants and animals
Fungi
The Fungi Kingdom is made up of a variety of different fungi. For many
years, it was believed that fungi were plants. Today we know that fungi are
different from plants in some very important ways.
Standard I: Understand and apply the concepts of life science. Recognize that the classification of living
things includes the five kingdoms: plants, animals, fungi, monerans, and protists.
First, unlike plants, fungi cannot make their own food. They must rely on other
food sources to support them. There are also differences in the basic makeup
and chemistry of their cells.
One common type of fungus is the mushrooms you find on your pizza.
Plants
The Plant Kingdom is made up of all the plants that you see each day. Most
plants are multi-cellular, meaning that they consist of many cells. Different
types of plants include trees, grass, flowers, and some types of algae.
Plants use the light from the Sun to produce their own food. This allows them
to grow almost anywhere, as long as there is enough water.
Plants get their green color from the chlorophyll which is found inside of their cells. Plants
use chlorophyll to collect energy from the light of the Sun. They then use this energy to
create food. In this process, they create the food we eat and the oxygen we need to breathe.
Plants are very important to the life of almost every other living thing.
Animals
Like many other lifeforms, animals are multi-cellular. These cells come
together, forming tissues, organs and organ systems, that help sustain the
life of the animal. From elephants to snails, animals come in many shapes
and sizes, and can be found all over the world.
Animals cannot make their own food. They must rely on other living things,
such as plants, fungi, and other animals to sustain them. Without other food
sources, animals could not survive.
There are more species of animals than in all the other kingdoms combined. From worms, to
blue whales, to bald eagles, animals have evolved to fit a wide variety of niches.
Standard I: Understand and apply the concepts of life science. Recognize that the classification of living
things includes the five kingdoms: plants, animals, fungi, monerans, and protists.