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The Kingdoms of Life - Challenge
The Kingdoms of Life
Biologists today divide all living things into six groups called Kingdoms. These kingdoms are based
on how living things are the same and different. Dividing living things up in this way is called
classification. Biologists are still learning about our world and making new discoveries every day.
As we learn more about the world around us, scientists might find a better way to organize and
classify life. As a result, these six kingdoms may someday change.
This would not be the first time that such a change has been made. The first classification system
was developed 2,500 years ago by a Greek philosopher named Aristotle. It included only two
groups, Plants and Animals. He then divided animals into three groups, those that fly, those that
walk, and those that swim.
The six kingdoms currently accepted by most scientists are Archaea, Monera (Bacteria), Protists,
Fungi, Plants, and Animals.
The Archaea are the newest kingdom to be discovered. Archaea are unicellular – made of just one
cell. Archaea are found in all kinds of environments; some even live in extreme places, like hot
springs, ice caps, and deep under the ocean. The Archaea have very simple cells. They are believed
to be very similar to the first living things that ever appeared on Earth. Some archaea use sunlight
to make food. Others use chemicals in the environment, such as methane.
The Monera (Bacteria) Kingdom consists of unicellular life forms. Unicellular means that they
only have one cell. Monera cells are much simpler than the cells of other life forms. These cells
have no nucleus, and are also missing many of the parts found in other cells. For this reason,
Monera are thought to be very distantly related to other life forms.
Bacteria are the main example of this kingdom. Not all bacteria make you sick, although some do.
Others are helpful – you have bacteria in your intestines that help you digest food!
The Protist Kingdom consists of unicellular life forms (only one cell) that have a nucleus. The
main difference between protists and bacteria is that protists are more complex, having a nucleus.
Many protists seem to be both plant and animal. Like plants, they are green, and can create their
own food. However, like animals, they have moving body parts, and are able to move around their
environments. You can see why scientists no longer classify living things into just plants and
animals: where would you put protists?
The Fungi Kingdom is made up of a variety of different funguses. For many years, it was believed
that fungi were plants. Today we know that fungi are different from plants in some very important
ways.
Unlike plants, fungi cannot make their own food. Instead, they absorb food from the environment.
Many fungi survive by breaking down the remains of dead plants and animals. Examples of fungi
are the mushrooms you find on your pizza. Other fungi include mold, mildew, and more.
Adapted from http://www.kidsbiology.com/biology_basics/five_kingdoms_life/classification1.php
The Plant Kingdom is made up of all the plants that you see each day. Most plants are multicellular, meaning that they consist of many cells. Different types of plants include trees, grass,
flowers, and some types of algae.
Plants use the light from the sun to produce their own food. This allows them to grow almost
anywhere, as long as there is enough water.
Plants get their green color from a chemical called chlorophyll which is found inside their cells.
Plants use chlorophyll to collect energy from the light of the Sun. They then use this energy to
create food. In this process, they create the food we eat, and the oxygen we need to breath. Plants
are very important to the life of almost every other living thing.
Like many other life forms, Animals are multi-cellular. Their cells work together, forming tissues,
organs, and organ systems that keep the animal alive. From elephants to snails, animals come in
many shapes and sizes, and can be found all over the world.
Animals cannot make their own food. They survive by eating other living things, such as plants,
fungi, and other animals. Without other food sources, animals could not survive. From worms to
blue whales to bald eagles, animals can live in a wide variety of environments.
Complete the table below with the characteristics of each kingdom. You may also use the
video found at http://tiny.cc/3v8fs to see examples and learn more.
Kingdom
About the cells
Archaea
Unicellular; no
nucleus.
How they get food Examples
& other details
Varies; sunlight or Some live in
chemicals
extreme places
Monera (Bacteria)
Fungi
Protists
Plants
Animals
Adapted from http://www.kidsbiology.com/biology_basics/five_kingdoms_life/classification1.php
Name:
Class:
Date:
The Kingdoms of Life - Basic
The Kingdoms of Life
Biologists today divide all living things into six groups called Kingdoms. These kingdoms are based
on how living things are the same and different. Dividing living things up in this way is called
classification. Biologists are still learning about our world and making new discoveries every day.
As we learn more about the world around us, scientists might find a better way to organize and
classify life. As a result, these six kingdoms may someday change.
The six kingdoms currently accepted by most scientists are Archaea, Monera (Bacteria), Protists,
Fungi, Plants, and Animals.
The Archaea are the newest kingdom to be discovered. Archaea are unicellular – made of just one
cell. Archaea are found in all kinds of environments; some even live in extreme places, like hot
springs, ice caps, and deep under the ocean. The Archaea have very simple cells. They are believed
to be very similar to the first living things that ever appeared on Earth. Some archaea use sunlight
to make food. Others use chemicals such as methane.
The Monera (Bacteria) are unicellular life forms. Unicellular means that they only have one cell.
Monera cells are much simpler than the cells of other life forms. These cells have no nucleus.
Bacteria are the main example of this kingdom. Not all bacteria make you sick, although some do.
Others are helpful – you have bacteria in your intestines that help you digest food!
The Protist Kingdom consists of unicellular life forms (only one cell) that have a nucleus. The
main difference between protists and bacteria is that protists are more complex, having a nucleus.
Many protists seem to be both plant and animal. Like plants, they can create their own food.
However, like animals, they are able to move around their environments. That’s why they get their
own kingdom!
The Fungi Kingdom is made up of a variety of different funguses. Examples of fungi are the
mushrooms you find on your pizza. Other fungi include mold, mildew, and more.
For many years, it was believed that fungi were plants. Today we know that fungi are different
from plants in some very important ways. Unlike plants, fungi cannot make their own food.
Instead, they absorb food from the environment. Many fungi survive by breaking down the
remains of dead plants and animals.
The Plant Kingdom is made up of all the plants that you see each day. Most plants are
multicellular, meaning that have many cells. Some examples of plants are trees, grass, flowers, and
some types of algae.
Plants use energy from the sun to produce their own food. This allows them to grow almost
anywhere, as long as there is enough water.
Adapted from http://www.kidsbiology.com/biology_basics/five_kingdoms_life/classification1.php
Like many other life forms, Animals are multicellular. Their cells work together, forming tissues,
organs, and organ systems that keep the animal alive. From elephants to snails, animals come in
many shapes and sizes, and can be found all over the world.
Animals cannot make their own food. They survive by eating other living things, such as plants,
fungi, and other animals. Without other food sources, animals could not survive. From worms to
blue whales to bald eagles, animals can live in a wide variety of environments.
Complete the table below with the characteristics of each kingdom. You may also use the
video found at http://tiny.cc/3v8fs to see examples and learn more.
Kingdom
About the cells
Archaea
Unicellular; no
nucleus.
How they get food Examples
& other details
Varies; sunlight or Some live in
chemicals
extreme places
Monera (Bacteria)
Fungi
Protists
Plants
Animals
Adapted from http://www.kidsbiology.com/biology_basics/five_kingdoms_life/classification1.php