Project in Science 8

Submitted by: Euphrasia Ericka J. Dalanon

Submitted to: Sir Raymund L. Rodillo

 Animals belong to the largest and most diverse of the five kingdoms of living things. So far over two
million animal species have been identified. All animals share certain features. Unlike plants, animals get the
energy they need by eating food. They are all made up of many cells and many animals are highly mobile.
Most reproduce sexually and have sense organs that allow them to react quickly to their surroundings.
In order to make animals easier to study, scientists divide the animal kingdom into divisions and
subdivisions. The first division is called a phylum. Each phylum breaks down into groups called classes.
Classes are divided into orders, then families, and then genera. Each genus contains species, which are
individual groups of animals that have the same characteristics and can breed together.
Kingdom Plantae
 Kingdom Plantae includes all the plants. They are eukaryotic, multicellular and autotrophic
organisms. The plant cell contains a rigid cell wall. Plants have chloroplast and chlorophyll pigment, which
is required for photosynthesis.

The plant kingdom has the following characteristic features:

1. They are non-motile.

2. They make their own food and hence are called autotrophs.
3. They reproduce asexually by vegetative propagation or sexually.
4. These are multicellular eukaryotes. The plant cell contains the outer cell wall and a large central
vacuole.
5. Plants contain photosynthetic pigments called chlorophyll present in the plastids.
6. They have different organelles for anchorage, reproduction, support and photosynthesis.

A plant kingdom is further classified into subgroups. Classification is based on the following criteria:

1. Plant body: Presence or absence of a well-differentiated plant body. E.g. Root, Stem and Leaves.
2. Vascular system: Presence or absence of a vascular system for the transportation of water and other
substances. E.g. Phloem and Xylem.
3. Seed formation: Presence or absence of flowers and seeds and if the seeds are naked or enclosed in a
fruit.
The plant kingdom has been classified into five subgroups according to the above-mentioned criteria:

1. Thallophyta
2. Bryophyta
3. Pteridophyta
4. Gymnosperms
5. Angiosperms
Kingdom Fungi
 Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that include microorganisms such as yeasts, molds, and mushrooms.
These organisms are classified under kingdom fungi.

The organisms found in Kingdom fungi contain a cell wall and are omnipresent. They are classified
as heterotrophs among the living organisms.

To name a few – the appearance of black spots on bread left outside for some days, the mushrooms
and the yeast cells, which are commonly used for the production of beer and bread are also fungi. They are
also found in most skin infections and other fungal diseases.

If we observe carefully, all the examples that we cited involve moist conditions. Thus, we can say
that fungi usually grow in places which are moist and warm enough to support them.

Following are the important characteristics of fungi:

1. Fungi are eukaryotic, non-vascular, non-motile and heterotrophic organisms.

2. They may be unicellular or filamentous.
3. They reproduce by means of spores.
4. Fungi exhibit the phenomenon of alternation of generation.
5. Fungi lack chlorophyll and hence cannot perform photosynthesis.
6. Fungi store their food in the form of starch.
7. Biosynthesis of chitin occurs in fungi.
8. The nuclei of the fungi are very small.
9. The fungi have no embryonic stage. They develop from the spores.
10. The mode of reproduction is sexual or asexual.
11. Some fungi are parasitic and can infect the host.
12. Fungi produce a chemical called pheromone which leads to sexual reproduction in fungi.
13. Examples include mushrooms, moulds and yeast.
 Protists are simple eukaryotic organisms that are neither plants nor animals or fungi. Protists are
unicellular in nature but can also be found as a colony of cells. Most protists live in water, damp terrestrial
environments or even as parasites.

he term ‘Protista’ is derived from the Greek word “protistos”, meaning “the very first“.  These
organisms are usually unicellular and the cell of these organisms contains a nucleus which is bound to the
organelles. Some of them even possess structures that aid locomotion like flagella or cilia.

Scientists speculate that protists form a link between plants, animals and fungi as these three
kingdoms diverged from a common protist-like ancestor, billions of years ago. Though this “protists-like”
ancestor is a hypothetical organism, we can trace some genes found in modern animals and plants to these
ancient organisms.

Therefore, these organisms are traditionally considered the first eukaryotic forms of life and a
predecessor to plants, animals and fungi.

The primary feature of all protists is that they are eukaryotic organisms. This means that they have a
membrane-enclosed nucleus. Other characteristic features of Kingdom Protista are as follows:

1. These are usually aquatic, present in the soil or in areas with moisture.
2. Most protist species are unicellular organisms, however, there are a few multicellular protists such as
kelp. Some species of kelp grow so large that they exceed over 100 feet in height. (Giant Kelp).
3. Just like any other eukaryote, the cells of these species have a nucleus and membrane-bound
organelles.
4. They may be autotrophic or heterotrophic in nature. An autotrophic organism can create its own food
and survive. A heterotrophic organism, on the other hand, has to derive nutrition from other
organisms such as plants or animals to survive.
5. Symbiosis is observed in the members of this class. For instance, kelp (seaweed) is a multicellular
protist that provides otters, protection from predators amidst its thick kelp. In turn, the otters eat sea
urchins that tend to feed on kelp.
6. Parasitism is also observed in protists. Species such as Trypanosoma protozoa can cause sleeping
sickness in humans.
7. Protists exhibit locomotion through cilia and flagella. A few organisms belonging to the kingdom
Protista have pseudopodia that help them to move.
8. Protista reproduces by asexual means. The sexual method of reproduction is extremely rare and
occurs only during times of stress.
Kingdom Monera belongs to the prokaryote family. The organisms belonging to this kingdom do not contain
a true nucleus. These are the oldest known microorganisms on earth. Their DNA is not enclosed within the
nucleus.
They are unicellular organisms found mostly in a moist environment. They are found in hot springs,
snow, deep oceans, or as parasites in other organisms.
 The monerans do not possess any membrane-bound organelles.
The important characteristics of Monera are mentioned below:

1. The Monerans are unicellular organisms.

2. They contain 70S ribosomes.
3. The DNA is naked and is not bound by a nuclear membrane.
4. It lacks organelles like mitochondria, lysosomes, plastids, Golgi bodies, endoplasmic reticulum,
centrosome, etc.
5. They reproduce asexually by binary fission or budding.
6. The cell wall is rigid and made up of peptidoglycan.
7. Flagellum serves as the locomotory organ.
8. These are environmental decomposers.
9. They show different modes of nutrition such as autotrophic, parasitic, heterotrophic, or saprophytic.