Features of the five Kingdoms (A level Bio)
From WikiTextbook
Taxonomy are the systems used to classify life: the system currently being used was developed by Linnaeus but previous systems have been devised including Aristotle's division of everything living into two cataogries. The highest level of classification is the kindom, followed by the phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Life is divided into five kingdoms: plantae, animalia, fungi, prokariotae and protocista.
Main features of each kindom
Plantae - multicellular eukaryotes with cellulose cell wall. Plants are non-motile autotrophs, producing their own food by fixing caron dioxide into glucose during photosynthesis. A plant cell may contain chloroplasts.
Animalia - multicellular eukaryotes with no cell wall. Animals are motile heterotrophs.
Fungi - multi or unicellular eukaryotes that gain nutrition through decomposition of organic matter. They have a chitin cell wall and may be indentified by the strand-like hyphae they produce.
Prokariote - do not feature a true nucleus or organelles. They are unicellular and can be either autotrophs, gaining energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, or heterotrophs. Their cell wall is made of mucin.
Protocista - anything that does not fit into the other four catagories is placed in this section.
