Biological Classification

Beginner - Story ModeTopper - Revision

1. Five Kingdom Classification - Whittaker 1969

Imagine you have to arrange all living things in 5 big boxes. R H Whittaker in 1969 did that - 5 boxes: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia. Based on 5 criteria: cell structure prokaryotic eukaryotic, body organization unicellular multicellular, nutrition autotrophic heterotrophic, reproduction, phylogeny evolution.

Earlier 2 kingdom system failed because bacteria fungi kept confusing. 5 kingdom better. Monera prokaryotes no nucleus, Protista unicellular eukaryotes, Fungi heterotrophic chitin wall, Plantae autotrophic cell wall, Animalia heterotrophic no wall. Simple.

Part 1A - Five Kingdom - Whittaker 1969

Revision: Whittaker 1969 5 kingdoms: Monera prokaryotes, Protista unicellular eukaryotes, Fungi chitin heterotrophic, Plantae autotrophic wall, Animalia heterotrophic no wall. Criteria: cell structure, body organization, nutrition, reproduction, phylogeny.

2. Kingdom Monera - Bacteria

Smallest living, no nucleus, prokaryotes. Imagine tiny balls rods spirals invisible. Bacteria shapes: Coccus round, Bacillus rod, Vibrio comma, Spirillum spiral.

Bacteria - true bacteria, gram positive thick wall purple, gram negative thin pink. Archaebacteria - live in extreme, halophiles salty, methanogens produce methane in cow gut biogas, thermoacidophiles hot acidic springs. Mycoplasma smallest no cell wall causes disease. Cyanobacteria blue green algae Nostoc Anabaena have heterocyst special cell fixes nitrogen converts air nitrogen to usable, important for rice fields.

Part 2A - Monera - Bacteria Shapes & Archaea

Revision: Monera prokaryotes no nucleus. Bacteria coccus bacillus vibrio spirillum gram + -. Archaebacteria halophiles methanogens thermoacidophiles extreme. Mycoplasma smallest no wall. Cyanobacteria BGA Nostoc Anabaena heterocyst nitrogen fixation.

3. Kingdom Protista - Unicellular Eukaryotes

Single cell but eukaryotic with nucleus, live in water. Like microscopic animals plants.

Chrysophytes diatoms golden algae - cell wall has silica makes beautiful designs, diatomaceous earth used in filters. Dinoflagellates Gonyaulax - red tide makes sea red, bioluminescence glows in dark. Euglenoids Euglena - mixotrophic both plant animal, has flagella, pellicle not cell wall. Slime moulds - slimy mass Plasmodium moves like animal eats like, spores. Protozoans - Amoeba pseudopodia false feet, Paramecium cilia hair, Plasmodium malaria parasite.

Part 3A - Protista - Diatoms to Protozoans

Revision: Protista unicellular eukaryotes. Chrysophytes diatoms golden silica diatomaceous earth, Dinoflagellates Gonyaulax red tide bioluminescence, Euglenoids Euglena mixotrophic pellicle, Slime moulds Plasmodium slimy, Protozoans Amoeba pseudopodia Paramecium cilia Plasmodium malaria.

4. Kingdom Fungi - Chitin Wall

Imagine plant without chlorophyll that eats dead matter, makes network of threads mycelium, each thread hypha. Cell wall chitin like insect armor.

Hyphae septate with cross walls or aseptate coenocytic multinucleate no cross walls. 4 classes: Phycomycetes Mucor Rhizopus bread mould aseptate. Ascomycetes sac fungi Penicillium antibiotic Aspergillus, yeast Saccharomyces. Basidiomycetes Agaricus mushroom, bracket fungi. Deuteromycetes imperfect fungi no sexual reproduction known Alternaria Trichoderma. Mycorrhiza fungi+roots symbiosis helps plant absorb water, Lichen algae+fungi symbiosis pollution indicator.

Part 4A - Fungi - Mycelium & 4 Classes

Revision: Fungi heterotrophic chitin wall mycelium hyphae septate aseptate coenocytic. Phycomycetes Mucor Rhizopus, Ascomycetes Penicillium Aspergillus sac, Basidiomycetes Agaricus mushroom, Deuteromycetes imperfect Alternaria. Mycorrhiza fungi roots, Lichen algae fungi symbiosis pollution indicator.

5. Viruses & Special Groups

Imagine something between living and non-living, can be crystallized like chemical but makes copies inside living cell. That's virus - non-cellular obligate parasite, DNA or RNA inside protein coat capsid.

Virus - TMV tobacco mosaic first discovered, bacteriophage virus eating bacteria, AIDS HIV, smallpox. Viroids - only RNA no protein coat discovered by Diener, infects plants. Prions - only abnormal protein, no DNA RNA, mad cow disease. Lichens - algae+fungi together, algae makes food photosynthesis, fungi gives shelter, very sensitive to pollution so pollution indicators. Mycorrhiza - fungi+roots.

Part 5A - Viruses Viroids Prions Lichens

Revision: Viruses non-cellular obligate parasite DNA or RNA capsid bacteriophage TMV HIV, Viroids RNA no protein Diener, Prions abnormal protein mad cow, Lichens algae+fungi symbiosis pollution indicators, Mycorrhiza fungi+roots symbiosis.