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6th Grade Science Name: Date: Advisory: The Six Kingdoms Directions: The passage that you are about to read introduces a new topic within the upcoming unit on organisms. This passage describes how scientists classify or group organisms by their characteristics. As you read circle any new vocabulary words, then answer the questions that follow each kingdom. T oday, the system of classification includes six kingdoms: archaebacteria, eubacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals. Organisms are placed into kingdoms based on their type of cells, their ability to make food, and the number of cells in their bodies. Archaebacteria: The name archaebacteria means “ancient bacteria.”Archaebacteria can be either autotrophs (create their own energy) or heterotrophs (get energy by eating other living or dead organisms) and live only in places without oxygen. Archaebacteria don’t have a nucleus. A nucleus is a dense area in a cell that contains information for the cell (DNA)— the chemical instructions that direct the cell’s activities. In prokaryotes, DNA is scattered throughout the cell. Archaebacteria are usually harmless to humans and live in extreme environments like at the bottom of the ocean, in hot springs and in the acids of your digestive system! Based on the passage, what does the word “autotroph” mean? __________________________________________________ Based on the passage, what does the word “heterotrophs” mean? Eubacteria: Bacteria belong to the kingdom known as Eubacteria. Eubacteria are unicellular and don’t have nuclei in their cells. Some eubacteria are autotrophs while others are heterotrophs. Even though they are similar to archaebacteria, eubacteria are classified in their own kingdom because they are made of different chemicals than archaebacteria. Some eubacteria are dangerous and can cause infections like strep throat, however, most of them are either harmless or actually helpful, by helping your body break down food. Based on the passage, what do you think the word “unicellular” means? Protists: Slime molds, amoebas, algae and paramecium are all examples of protists. The protist kingdom is sometimes called the “odds and ends” kingdom because its members are so different from one another. Protists can be autotrophs or heterotrophs. Although many protists are unicellular (made of one cell), some are multicellular (made of more than one cell). Some protists can have chloroplasts, others don’t. However, all protist cells contain a nucleus, some types even have an extra nucleus called a “micronucleus.” Based on the passage, what do you think the word “micronucleus” means? Fungi: Mushrooms, molds, mildew, and yeast are all fungi. Most fungi are multicellular and all of their cells have nuclei and cell walls (but no chloroplasts). A few, such as yeast, are unicellular. Fungi are found almost everywhere on land, but only a few live in fresh water. All fungi are heterotrophs. Most fungi feed on dead or decaying organisms. When they do this, it looks like they are growing on their food (look at the ant). Why don’t fungi need chloroplasts? Plants: Plants are all multicellular organisms whose cells have nuclei. The plant kingdom includes a variety of organisms. All plants are autotrophs. Plants feed almost all of the heterotrophs on Earth. All plants have cell walls and chloroplasts. Considering what you know about chloroplast, explain why a plant could be classified as an autotroph. Animals: All animals are multicellular organisms whose cells have nuclei. All animals are heterotrophs. Animals have different adaptations that allow them to find food, capture it, eat it, and digest it. Members of the animal kingdom are found in diverse environments on earth. Animals can live deep in the ocean, fly in the air, crawl along the desert, climb trees, and for almost every animal and plant alive, there is an animal that eats it. Explain why animals are classified as heterotrophs.