Unit 4

Monera, protists, fungi

and viruses
Classification of living beings

Five kingdoms:

1. Monerans
2. Protists
3. Fungi
4. Plants
5. Animals
The five Kingdoms

Units 6 Unit 5
and 7

Unit 4
Simplest life forms
Kingdom Monera - Bacteria Kingdom Protist –
Algae and Protozoans

Kingdom Fungi – Yeast,

Mushrooms and Moulds Viruses
Bacteria
The kingdom Monera consists
of all bacteria (prokaryotic
cells).

Unicellular and microscopic.

Bacteria exist almost

anywhere on Earth: water, air,
soil, inside other living
beings…
Bacteria
Bacteria can be autotrophic or heterotrophic:

- Autotrophic: produce organic matter from carbon dioxide and other

inorganic substances. Most autotrophic bacteria are photosynthetic.
Example: cyanobacteria.

- Heterotrophic: feed on organic matter produced by other living things.

Saprophytic bacteria (decomposers), parasitic bacteria (cause diseases) and
symbiotic bacteria (intestinal bacteria and others) are heterotrophic.

Bacteria do not have sense organs, but they can detect some stimuli like light,
temperature or the presence of chemical substances; and move towards it or
away from it using its flagella.

Bacteria reproduce asexually through binary fission.

 Photosynthetic bacteria
(Autotrophic bacteria that use the
energy of sunlight)
Cyanobacteria Bacteria
Binary fission
Bacteria
Saprophytic bacteria found in the soil act as decomposers
(transform organic matter into inorganic matter)
Bacteria
Symbiotic intestinal bacteria are beneficial for
our health.
Bacteria
Harmful bacteria can infect our body and cause diseases

Gastroenteritis Tetanus Cholera

• Abdominal pain • Spasms • Severe diarrhoea

• Fever • Fever • Vomiting
• Diarrhoea • Paralysis • Dehydration
• Not usually severe • Deadly if not treated • Deadly if not treated
Bacteria

Diseases caused by bacteria are treated using antibiotics,

substances that specifically kill bacteria but do not cause
harm to our own cells.

Penicillin was the first

antibiotic used in medicine.
It was discovered by
Alexander Fleming in 1928.
Bacteria
Activity – COMPREHENSIVE READING
In groups, answers to the following questions about bacteria.
You must write the questions and the answers in your notebook.
1. Bacteria in the soil play an important role in ecosystems. What role is this? What does
it consist in?

2. All mammals have some symbiotic bacteria living inside them. What is the meaning of
the word “symbiosis”? What is a “symbiotic organism”? (to answer these questions,
you may have to find some information in internet)

3. In what part of our body do we have symbiotic bacteria? What do these bacteria do
for us? What do our bodies do for them?

4. What types of food are made using bacteria? What other things can be done using
bacteria?

5. How can bacteria infect humans?

6. What species of bacteria can cause diseases? What diseases do these bacteria cause?
Simplest life forms
Kingdom Monera - Bacteria Kingdom Protist –
Algae and Protozoans

Kingdom Fungi – Yeast,

Mushrooms and Moulds Viruses
Protists
The protist kingdom consists
of eukaryotic organisms that
do not have differentiated
tissues.

They can reproduce in many

ways, both asexually and
sexually.

There are two main groups:

- Algae (autrotrophic)
- Protozoans (heterotrophic)
Algae
- Unicellular or multicellular.

- Aquatic, found in freshwater and

saltwater.

- Photosynthetic. Their cells have

chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll
(green) and other pigments (red,
brown or yellow).

- Algae are the main producers in

aquatic ecosystems, producing organic
nutrients and oxygen.

- Phytoplankton are microscopic algae

that are carried away by the oceanic
currents

- Some algae, like nori, are edible.

Algae
Classification of algae
Green algae

Brown algae

Red algae
Protozoans
- Always unicellular.

- Heterotrophs.
- Predators: eat other cells through phagocytosis.
- Saprophytes: acting as decomposers.
- Parasites: causing diseases. E.g. Plasmodium sp.
is the protozoan that causes malaria.
Amoeba sp.
- Protozoa live in the soil, in freshwater,
saltwater or inside other living beings.

Paramecium sp.
Phagocytosis
Protozoans - Malaria
Malaria is an illness caused by the parasitic protozoan Plasmodium sp.

These parasitic protozoa

infect the liver,
reproduce inside liver
cells, and then infect and
destroy red blood cells.

To get to the human

body, these protozoans
use animals as vectors.

The vector that carries

the Plasmodium is the
mosquito Anopheles sp.
Protozoans - Malaria
Protozoans
Classification of protozoa

Ciliates Flagellates Rhizopods Sporozoans

Move using cilia Move using flagella Move using Do not move
(short appendages) (long appendages) pseudopods
(prolongations of the cytoplasm)

Paramecium sp. Trichomonas sp. Amoeba sp. Plasmodium sp.

 Protists
Activity – COMPARE AND CONTRAST

In groups, and using the information found in your books, fill the following table
comparing algae and protozoa.
ALGAE PROTOZOA
Common
features

Differences
Simplest life forms
Kingdom Monera - Bacteria Kingdom Protist –
Algae and Protozoans

Kingdom Fungi – Yeast,

Mushrooms and Moulds Viruses
Fungi
Fungi are eukaryotic
and heterotrophic
organisms.

They do not have

differentiated tissues.

Fungi can be
unicellular (yeasts) or
multicellular
(mushrooms and
moulds).
Fungi
Fungi
Multicellular fungi are made up of filaments called hyphae.
Each individual hypha can be quite long, but they are microscopically thin.
The mycelium is the structure formed by all the hyphae. Usually found in the soil.
Mushrooms are spore-producing organs developed by some multicellular fungi.
Fungi
Most fungi are saprophytic, feeding on decaying organic matter like
fallen fruits or leaves, animal carcasses or faeces. These fungi act as
decomposers, turning all these organic remains into inorganic nutrients
that plants can use.

Some fungi are parasitic, growing on and using the resources of other
organisms like plants or animals. Some cause infections called mycosis.

Other fungi establish symbiotic relationships with other organisms. That is the
case of lichen and mycorrhizas.
Symbiotic Fungi - lichens
Lichen: symbiosis between a fungus and an algae.
- The fungus provides moisture and mineral salts.
- The algae provides sugar and other organic compounds produced
through photosynthesis.
Fungi

Algae

Some species of lichen can only grow in places in

which the air is completely free of pollution.
These species of lichens are used as bioindicators
Symbiotic Fungi - mycorrhizas
Mycorrhiza: symbiosis between a
fungus and a plant. The hyphae of
the fungus connects to the roots of
the plant:
- The fungus provides moisture,
some essential nutrients and
minerals salts. In old forests,
most trees are connected
through mycorrhizas, which trees
use to communicate.
- Plants provide sugar and other
organic compounds produced
through photosynthesis.

Most land plants form mycorrhizas.

How Trees Secretly Talk to Each Other in the Forest | Decoder -
YouTube
Fungi
Fungi can reproduce sexually
and asexually.

Multicellular fungi can the

produce asexual spores (grow
and from a clone) or sexual
spores (grow forming fungi with
DNA of two previous fungi).

Yeasts reproduce asexually by

budding.
Fungi
Yeasts perform the process of Some mushrooms are edible.
fermentation through which they Some moulds are used to make certain
transform sugars into alcohol and types of cheese, like blue cheese.
carbon dioxide, a necessary
process to make bread, beer and
wine

Penicillin is an antibiotic produced by the

mould Penicillium. It is used to treat
bacterial infections.
Fungi
Activity – COMPREHENSIVE READING
In groups, answers to the following questions about fungi.
You must write the questions and the answers in your notebook.

1. All fungi are heterotrophs, but they can use different strategies to obtain organic
matter. How do saprophytic fungi get organic matter? How do parasitic fungi get
organic matter? How do symbiotic fungi get organic matter?

2. The word “mykes” means “fungi” in Greek. Several concepts related to fungi start
with this word. Describe these concepts: “mycelium”, “mycorrhiza” and “mycosis”.

3. How are lichen and mycorrhizas similar? What is the difference between lichens and
mycorrhizas?

4. Are all mushrooms edible? What other types of food contain fungi or need fungi to be
made?
Simplest life forms
Kingdom Monera - Bacteria Kingdom Protist –
Algae and Protozoans

Kingdom Fungi – Yeast,

Mushrooms and Moulds Viruses
Virus

A virus is a non-cellular
parasite that can only
reproduce by infecting a cell.

Viruses are not considered as

living beings because:

- They do not have cells

- They do not perform the
three life functions.
Virus

Viruses have
two main parts:

• Genetic material
• Capsid (protein coat that
protects the genetic material).

Some viruses, like influenza or

coronavirus, also have a
membrane envelope.

Bacteriophages (viruses that

infect bacteria) also have a tail.
Virus
Reproduction of viruses
In order to reproduce, viruses insert their genetic material inside living cells.
Then, the infected cell reads the genetic material of the virus and produces more viruses.
Finally, the new viruses are released, and the infected cell usually dies.
Virus
Diseases caused by viruses
Many diseases are caused by viruses:
• Common cold
• Flu
• Ebola
• AIDS (HIV)
Virus
Coronavirus

The virus called SARS-CoV-2 causes the

respiratory illness called COVID-19

This virus is responsible for the pandemic

that has affected us these last years.

A pandemic is an infectious disease that

affects more than one continent at the
same time.
Virus
Activity – HOW VIRUSES WORK

In groups, watch the following video, and describe what is happening in each of
the following time sets:

Life Cycle Of Influenza A

a) 00:18-00:22

b) 00:30-00:50

c) 01:06-01:11

d) 01:32-01:39

e) 02:00-02:08
Unit 4

Activities from the book

Exercises 6, 14, 22 (a b c d ), 29, 49, 56 and 57