Kingdom MONERA
Phylum Firmicutes
Phylum Cyanophyta
General Characteristics
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It is in some respects the largest kingdom.
It contains the tiniest known cells.
Members of the group are called monerans.
It is estimated that monerans are more numerous
and have a greater combined weight than any
other living things on the earth.
• Key characteristic which places organisms in the
kingdom by themselves: they are all procaryotic.
• Monerans thrive in places where no other living
thing is known to exist.
procaryotic
lack membranes around their nuclei
Interesting Facts
• Been found in the atmosphere 20,000 feet up; they ride
on dust particles.
• Been found in hot springs at 185o F.
• Been found in melted glacial water, below 32o F.
• A single drop of water can contain 50 billion bacteria.
• One gram of common soil contains from 1 million to
100 million of them.
• Every cubic meter of air contains 100-20,000 of them.
They exist in every natural water supply (including the
water you drink).
• Hundreds of 1,000's of monerans grow and thrive in
your body.
Phylum Firmicutes
bacteria & similar organisms
Key Role of Bacteria
to decompose organisms in the soil and water
Other Uses:
forming cheeses, making vinegar,
making butter, making cultured
buttermilk, retting flax, making
sauerkraut, tanning leather, forming
silage
Clostridium botulinum
Escherichia coli
Phylum Cyanophyta
blue-green algae
Anabaena
General Characteristics
• They can live alone in water, soil, or even snow.
• Many float in water; some appear to slide along.
• Many grow in chains of cells called filaments
(long, thin strands of similar cells).
• Some colonies are shaped like discs or globs.
• Certain blue-green algae, when in abundance,
affect the taste or smell of water. Others produce
poisons, making the water unfit to drink.
Gleocapse