Lesson 1 of 4 · Form 3 Biology
Classification: the five kingdoms
15 min
The five kingdoms
- Monera: prokaryotes with no true nucleus, e.g. bacteria.
- Protoctista: simple eukaryotes, e.g. amoeba, paramecium, algae.
- Fungi: no chlorophyll, cell walls of chitin, feed saprophytically or as parasites, e.g. mushroom, yeast, rhizopus (bread mould).
- Plantae: multicellular, chlorophyll, cellulose cell walls, e.g. mosses, ferns, flowering plants.
- Animalia: multicellular, no cell walls, heterotrophic, e.g. insects, fish, mammals.
Plant divisions
- Bryophyta: mosses and liverworts, no true roots, have rhizoids.
- Pteridophyta: ferns, have fronds and spores in sori.
- Spermatophyta: seed plants: gymnosperms (naked seeds, cones) and angiosperms (seeds in fruits; monocots and dicots).
Monocots vs dicots
- Monocot: one cotyledon, parallel veins, fibrous roots (maize).
- Dicot: two cotyledons, network veins, tap root (bean).
Key points to remember
- Monera have no true nucleus
- Fungi have chitin cell walls
- Ferns are Pteridophyta
- Monocots have parallel veins
Test yourself
