The Classification of Living Organisms

1
The Classification of Living Organisms

• The Five Kingdoms

2
The Five Kingdom Classification of Living
Organisms
It is generally agreed that all organisms
belong to one of five Kingdoms.
All the members of any one Kingdom may look
extremely different from one another
but all share certain significant features in
common which set them apart from the members of
any other Kingdom
3

Prokaryotae
Bacteria and blue-green bacteria (or
cyanobacteria) e.g. Spirillum, Staphylococcus

• Cells are prokaryotic (no nucleus, no organelles)
  and very small (lt 10 mm)

• Cells have cell wall made of peptidoglycans/murein

• Autotrophic (chemosynthesis or photosynthesis)
• and heterotrophic

4
Protoctista
e.g. seaweeds
Plasmodium (the cause of malaria),
Foraminiferans,
Paramecium Diatoms

Amoeba Spirogyra alga Euglena

Trypanosoma (the cause
of sleeping sickness)
5

• Eukaryotic unicellular and multicellular
• Autotrophic (e.g. seaweeds)
• and heterotrophic (e.g. Plasmodium)

• Cells of some have cellulose walls (e.g.
  seaweeds)
• whilst cells of other do not (e.g. Plasmodium)

• Organisms are classed here if they
• do not fit into any other Kingdom

6
Fungi
Moulds, yeasts, mushrooms
7

• Eukaryotic
• Heterotrophic
• Cells have walls made of chitin
• (a type of glucose-based polymer with attached
  amino acids, so different to cellulose)
• Some unicellular (e.g. yeasts) but usually body
  is a multicellular (but often no separate cells,
  so more accurately multinucleate)) mass
  (mycelium) of thread-like filaments (hyphae)
• Reproduce by forming resistant spores

8
Plantae
Mosses, ferns, flowering plants
9

• Eukaryotic
• Multicellular
• Complex body structures specialised cells,
  tissues, organs
• Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
• Cells have wall made of cellulose
• Have a complex life cycle with a sexually
  reproducing adult stage and an asexually
  reproducing adult stage

10
Animalia
Sea anemones, earthworms, insects, snails, fish,
humans
11

• Eukaryotic
• Multicellular
• Complex body structures specialised cells,
  tissues, organs
• Heterotrophic most have a gut (digestive system)
• Cells lack cell walls
• Most are motile.
• Have a nervous system
• Embryo has a stage at which it is a hollow ball
  of cells (the blastula)

12
Five Kingdoms
Prokaryotae Protoctista Fungi Plantae Animalia
13

• All necessary information is in Fig 5.15 on page
  13.
• Or Fig 5.15 can be accessed and printed from the
  SNAB website (mediabank)
• Its down to you!

14
Taxonomic groups the 5 Kingdoms
15
Phyla
Taxonomic groups Major phyla and classes of the
Animal Kingdom
Classes
There are actually 33 phyla!
16
All the animal phyla

• http//www.glaucus.org.uk/other.htm