DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD
KINGDOM----> DIVISION OR PHYLUM--- CLASS--ORDER----FAMILY-----GENUS----SPECIES
---- FATHER OF TAXONOMY LINNAEUS (CARL VON LINNE )
LIVING ORGANISMS-------(i) PLANT KINGDOM (ii) ANIMAL KINGDOM
PLANT KINGDOM------AUTO TROPHIC CAN MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN FOOD)
ANIMAL KINGDOM-----HETEROTROPHIC (CAN NOT MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN FOOD)
DISTINCTION BETWEEN PLANTS AND ANIMALS IS CLEAR CUT SO FAR AS HIGHER GROUPS ARE CONCERNED. BUT LOWER
GROUPS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS SHOW MANY IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS WHICH ARE COMMON TO BOTH. ESPECIALLY
WHILE DEALING WITH UNICELLULAR MICROSCOPIC ORGANISMS,LIKE BACTERIA AND BLUE-GREEN ALGAE ( prokaryotic with
primitive nucleus) or SOME PROTOZOA AND ALGAE (EUKARYOTIC WITH TRUE NUCLEUS) WHICH DID NOT QUALIFY DISTINCTLY
AS ANIMALS OR PLANTS.
HAECKEL PROPOSED A THIRD KINGDOM-------------------PROTISTA (INCLUDE ALL UNICELLULAR ORGANISM LIKE PROKARYOTES
AND EUKARYOTES).
PROTISTA THEMSELVES DIVIDED INTO LOWER AND HIGHER PROTISTA.
LOWER PROTISTA ---------------UNICELLULAR PROKARYOTES (BACTERIA AND BLUE GREEN ALGAE)----CALLED MONERA
HIGHER PROTISTA ---------------TERMED AS
PROTISTA
-------INCLUDE UNICELLULAR EUKARYOTIC ORGANISMS.
LIVING KINGDOM CAME TO HAVE FOUR KINGDOMS-------(i) PLANTAE (ii)ANIMALIA (iii)PROTISTA (iv) MONERA
FUNGI WERE THE GROUP OF ORGANISMS WHICH ARE HARDLY FITTED IN THESE FOUR KINGDOM.
FUNGI LOOK LIKE PLANT, MULTICELLULAR AND NON—PHOTOSYNTHETIC, EUKARYOTIC,FEEDS
APROBIOTICALLY(ABSORPTIVE –NUTRITION)AND LACK BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THEIR
CELLS(SYNCYTIALL).
WHITTAKER SEPARATED FUNGI FROM THE PLANT KINGDOM AND PLACED IT INTO A SEPARATE KINGDOM, FUNGI.
WHITTAKER PROPOSED FIVE KINGDOM SYSTEM----------- i) PLANTAE
(ii)ANIMALIA (iii)FUNGI(iv) PROTISTA (v) ) MONERA
PROTISTA AND MONERA ARE PRIMITIVE KINGDOM WHEREAS REMAINING THREE HAVE DEVELOPED FROM THE PROTISTA.
HOWEVER ,
VIRUSES WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE WHITTAKER’S CLASSIFICATION. THE STATUS OF VIRUSES AS LIVING OR
NON-LIVING IS DEBATABLE.IN ONE SENSE , VIRUSES ARE NON-LIVING ORGANISM AS THEY ARE ACELLULAR. THEY CAN BE EVEN
CRYSTALLISED .VIRUSES CONSISTS OF A SHORT STRAND OF EITHER DNA OR RNA, ENCLOSED WITHIN A PROTEIN SHELL OR COAT.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE PLANT KINGDOM
EICHLER DIVIDED THE PLANT KINGDOM INTO TWO SUB – GROUP—(i) CRYPTOGAMAE (ii) PHANERGAMAE
CRYPTOGAME-----PLANTS WITHOUT FLOWERS AND SEEDS------REFERED AS TO LOWER PLANT
PHANEROGAMAE-----PLANTS BEARING FLOWERS AND SEEDS--------REFERRED AS HIGHER PLANT-----DUE TO PRESENCE OF
SEEDS IT IS ALSO TERMED AS SPERMATOPHYTES (SPERMA=SEEDS, PHYTON= PLANT).
CRYPTOGAME-----------------THREE DIVISIONS (i)THALLOPHYTA (ii) BRYOPHYTA (iii) PTRRIDOPHYTA
THALLOPHYTA AND BRYOPHYTA -------------LOWER CRYPTOGAME-------NOT CLEARLY DIFFERENTIATED INTO ROOT, STEM AND
LEAVES.-------------------NOT HAVE WELL DEVELOPED CONDUCTING TISSUES.
PTERIDOPHYTA-------------------HIGHER CRYPTOGAMS-------------WELL DEVELOPED CONDUCTING TISSUE ---XYLEM AND
PHLOEM-------------------------------ALSO CALLED VASCULAR CRYPTOGAMS.------------------WELL DIFFERENTIATED INTO
ROOT,STEM AND LEAVES.
PHANEROGRAMS ---------------------DIVIDED INTO TWO SUB GROUP-----------(i) GYMNOSPERMAE (ii) ANGIOSPERMAE.
GYMNOSPERMS-------------------PRIMITIVE PHANEROGAME IN WHICH FLOWERS ARE REPRESENTED BY UNISEXUAL CONES.THEY
ARE NAKED –SEEDS PLANT,I.E. SEEDS NOT ENCLOSED WITHIN THE FRUIT.
ANGIOSPERM-------------------HAVE DISTINCT FLOWERS AND SEEDS ENCLOSED WITHIN THE FRUITS.--------------ALSO CALLED
ADVANCED PHANEROGAMS.
THALLOPHYTA:------------------THALLUS---------NOT DIFFERENTIATED IN TO STEM, LEAVES AND ROOTS.----LACK OF VASCULAR
TISSUE.---------REPRODUCE BY VEGETATIVE, ASEXUAL AND SEXUAL METHODS. THE SEX ORGANS ARE UNICELLULAR.
FERTILISATION LEADS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW INDIVIDUAL WITHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMBRYO.
THALLOPHYTA INCLUDE ALGAE,FUNGI,AND LICHENS.
ALGAE:-----ALGAE ARE CHLOROPHYLL BEARING LOWER PLANTS AND ARE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED. THEY ARE FOUND IN FRESH
WATER OF ALL KINDS OF BARKS, SOILS, ROCKS AND MARINE HABITATS.--------------UNICELLULAR ALGAE-----CHLAMYDOMONAS,CHLORELLA,DIATOMS
MULTICELLULAR ALGAE:-----COLONIAL FORM---VOLVOX,FILAMENTOUS FORM-----ULOTHRIX,SPIROGYRA
SIPHONACEOUS FORM----VAUCHERIA
HIGHLY ADVANCED MICROSCOPIC HETEROTRICHOUS FORM WITH PROSTRATE AND ERECT SYSTEM-----SARGASSUM
IN SOME GROUP OF ALGAE, CHLOROPHYLL IS MASKED BY OTHER PIGMENTS PRODUCING VARIOUS COLORATION -----SUCH AS
YELLOW GREEN ALGAE, GOLDEN – BROWN ALGAE, BROWN ALGAE AND RED ALGAE.
BROWN ALGAE AND RED ALGAE
ARE MARINE FORMS.
THE RESERVE FOOD IN ALGAE IS ASTARCH , A CARBOHYDRATE.
ALGAE REPRODUCE BY VEGETATIVE , ASEXUAL AND SEXUAL METHOD. REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS ARE UNICELLULAR.
*** ALGAE ARE EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL TO HUMAN BEINGS AND THEIR LIVESTOCKS. THEY ARE OF GREAT USE AS
FOOD , FOODER, MANURES, MEDICINES AND IN SEVERAL OTHER WAYS. SOME ALGAE ARE HARMFUL TOO. IN RECENT
DAYS, ALGAE HAVE BEEN USED AS INDICATORS OF WATER POLLUTION.