Classification
Visit the web site www.gaiascience.co.uk/A2classification.htm
Use the links to answer the questions below
The five kingdoms
KINGDOM NAME
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
EXAMPLES
UNICELLULAR
PROKARYOTIC
BACTERIA
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
MOSTLY UNICELLULAR
EUKARYOTIC
SOME COLONIAL
AMOEBA
PARAMECIUM
EUGLENA
ALGAE
FUNGI
MOSTLY MULTICELLULAR
EUKARYOTIC
HETEROTROPHIC
SESSILE
CELL WALLS MADE OF CHITIN
HYPHAE
MYCELIUM
MUSHROOMS
MOLDS & MILDEWS
YEAST (unicellular)
PLANT
MULTICELLULAR
EUKARYOTIC
AUTOTROPHIC
SESSILE
CELL WALLS made of CELLULOSE
MOSS
FERNS
FLOWERING PLANTS
BUSHES
TREES
ANIMAL
MULTICELLULAR
EUKARYOTIC
HETEROTROPHIC
MOTILE
SPECIALIZED SENSE ORGANS
INSECTS
JELLYFISH, HYDRA
CRABS
FISH
BIRDS
LIONS,TIGERS,BEARS
MONERA
PROTISTA
Some generalizations
1) only 1 Kingdom has organisms that are prokaryotic (the Moneran Kingdom)
2) For the most part, any organism that is unicellular & eukaryotic is a Protist (one exception is
YEAST, a unicellular fungus)
3) Fungi have the same characteristics as Plants except that Fungi are heterotrophic & Plants are
autotrophic, and their cell walls are different
4) Animals are the only motile multicellular group
5) Most of the autotrophic organism we study have chlorophyll which gives them a greenish
appearance. So being "green" is an important clue --- it indicates they are autotrophic (ex: bluegreen algae, algae, plants).
1. Define the key characteristics
a. UNICELLULAR
b. PROKARYOTIC
c. EUKARYOTIC
d. MULTICELLULAR
e. EUKARYOTIC
f.
HETEROTROPHIC
g. SESSILE
h. AUTOTROPHIC
i.
MOTILE
j.
SPECIALIZED SENSE ORGANS
k. CELL WALLS MADE OF CHITIN
l.
HYPHAE
m. MYCELIUM
2. For each description or example, name the kingdom it belongs
A. one-celled organism, eukaryotic, has structures for moving
B. green, multicellular, sessile, cellulose cell walls
C. an Ameba
D. multicellular, eukaryotic cells, obtains food from its environment, flies
E. colony of eukaryotic cells, autotrophic
F. sessile, heterotrophic, multicellular
G. eukaryotic cells with cell walls composed of cellulose
H. unicellular, no nucleus visible
I.
yeast
J. bacteria
Principles of taxonomy
The principles and importance of taxonomy is a classification system which comprises of a
hierarchy in which groups are contained within larger composite groups with no overlap.
Each hierarchy (monera, protista, fungi, plat and animal) comprises of Kingdom, Phylum, Class,
Order, Family, Genus, Species.
(remember – King Peter Could Only Fry Green Sausages!)
Phylum
The phylogenetic groupings are based on patterns of evolutionary history. Throughout
evolutionary history points of divergence have been identified, for example reptiles and birds
separated after mammals and reptiles had become separated as classes of organisms
A phylum is the first subgroup within a kingdom.
Click on the first link to complete the characteristics for the phyla in the animal kingdom. The first
phylum, chordate or vertebrates is done for you. The rest of the phyla are invertebrates
KINGDOM
MONERA
PROTISTA
FUNGI
PHYLUM
CHARACTERISTICS
EXAMPLE(S)
blue-green algae
autotrophic
blue-green algae
bacteria
heterotrophic
Streptococcus
Staphylococcus
algae
(plant-like)
autotrophic
"sea weeds"
diatoms
Spirogyra
protozoa
(animal-like)
heterotrophic
Amoeba
Paramecium
the thing to remember about this kingdom is that most are multicellular
(mushrooms, molds, mildew) and a few are unicellular (yeast). don't worry about
specific phyla names. :)
bryophyte
nonvascular plants (small & simple)
mosses
liverworts
tracheophyte
vascular plants
trees
flowering plants
ferns
Chordate
Animals with backbones
Mammals, fish, reptiles,
amphibians, birds
PLANTS
Arthropod
Cnidaria
Platyhelminth
ANIMALS
Nematode
Echinoderm
Annelid
Mollusc
Class
Click on the link below to complete the table looking at how the phylum chordate is split into
different classes and then find example for each by searching on Google
Class
Chondrichthyes
Osteichthyes
Amphibia
Reptilia
Aves
Mammalia
Features
Example
Scientific name.
1. What is meant by binomial nomenclature?
2. Why do you think organisms are given a scientific name?
3. Why are humans referred to as Homo Sapiens?
Answer the questions and check your answers at the bottom of the link
Species
1. Define a species
2. Why are lions and tigers said to be of different species?
Using the information you have discovered answer the following questions:
1. The mammals form a class called the Mammalia within the animal kingdom. The grey
wolf is a species of mammal. Figure 1 shows the groups within the Mammalia to which
the wolf (labelled W) belongs.
Figure 1
a) Label Figure 1 to show the names of the groups.
b) The lion, Panthera leo, belongs to another group in the Carnivora, called the Felidae. Add
this information to Figure 1, using the letter L to represent the lion species.
c) The diagrams show two systems of classification of mammals. Figure 2 shows a simple
hierarchy. Figure 3 shows a phylogenetic system.
d) What is meant by a hierarchy?
e) By reference to Figures 2 and 3, explain how a phylogenetic system differs from a
simple hierarchy.
2. Use your knowledge of classification to arrange class, phylum, genus and family in order
of decreasing number of species.
largest number of
species
………………….
smallest number of
species
…………………….
…………………….
…………………
3. The diagram shows an amoeba. This is a single-celled organism.
Amoeba is classified as a protoctist. Giving a different answer in each case, explain why
it is not
(i) a prokaryote;
(ii) a fungus.