The Five Kingdoms

The first division of living things in the classification system is to put them into one of five kingdoms.
They are:

1. Animals
2. Plants
3. Fungi
4. Protoctists
5. Prokaryotes

Main features of all animals:

 they are multicellular/Eukaryotic

 their cells contain a nucleus but no cell walls or chloroplasts
 they feed on organic substances made by other living things(Heterotrophs)
Main features of all plants:

 they are multicellular

 their cells contain a nucleus, chloroplasts and cellulose cell walls
 they all feed by photosynthesis(Autotrophs)

Fungi

Main features of all fungi (e.g. moulds, mushrooms, yeast)

 usually multicellular e.g mushrooms but can be unicellular e.g yeast

 cells have nuclei and cell walls not made from cellulose/Chitin
 do not photosynthesize but feed by saprophytic (on dead or decaying material) or parasitic (on
live material) nutrition
Main features of all Protoctists (e.g. Amoeba, Paramecium, Plasmodium)

 most are unicellular but some are multicellular/eukaryotes

 all have a nucleus, some may have cell walls and chloroplasts
 meaning some protoctists photosynthesise (Autotrophs)and some feed on organic substances
made by other living things(Hetrotrophs)

Main features of all Prokaryotes (bacteria, blue-green algae)

 often unicellular
 cells have cell walls (not made of cellulose/ but it is made up of peptidoglycans) and cytoplasm
but no nucleus or mitochondria
Prokaryotes

Protoctist
Types of Nutrition

1. Autotrophic Nutrition
When the organisms make their own food by photosynthesis.
Plants are autotrophs
2. Heterotrophic Nutrition
When the organisms feed on organic matter made by other organisms

e.g animals are heterotrophs

3. Saprophytic Nutrition

When the organisms feed on dead organic matter.

Fungi and bacteria are saprophytes

4. Parasitic Nutrition
Parasites live and feed on living host and cause damage to the host