PROKARYOTAE

• Prokaryote is a kingdom, or division, in the classification scheme devised for

all life on Earth. This kingdom, which is also designated as Monera, includes
all bacteria and blue-green algae (which are also called Cyanobacteria).
There are four other kingdoms in the classification system. The classification
is based on the structure of a subunit of the ribosome. This criterion was
selected because the structure of the subunit seems to have been maintained
with little change throughout the millions of years that life has existed on
Earth.
• Besides the kingdom Prokaryotae, there are the Protista
(eukaryotic organisms' organisms that have a nucleus enclosed
in a well-defined membrane), Fungi , Animalia
(eukaryotes organized into complex organisms), and Plantae.
• The use of kingdoms in the classification of organisms arose
with the work of Carl Linnaeus who, in the mid-1700s, devised
the system that is still used today. The Linnaean system of
classification has kingdoms as the highest level, with six other
subdivisions down to the species level. Bacteria are divided
into various genera. A group of bacteria derived from a single
cell is called a strain. Closely related strains constitute a
bacterial species. 
• The Prokaryotae are further divided into two subkingdoms. These are
called the Eubacteriobonta (which contains the so-called Eubacteria )
and the Archaebacteriobonta (which contains the so-called
Archaebacteria). This split arose from the research of Carl Woese. He
showed that the so-called 16 S ribosomal subunit of bacteria divide
bacteria into two groups; the Eubacteria and the Archaebacteria.
• Archaebacteria are a very diverse group of bacteria and have several
features that set them apart from the other Prokaryotae. Their cell walls
lack a structure called the peptidoglycan , which is a rigid and stress-
bearing network necessary for the survival of other bacteria.
Archaebacteria live in extreme environments such as deep-sea vents,
hot springs, and very salty water. Finally, some metabolic processes of
Archaebacteria are different from other bacteria.
• The feature that most distinguishes the bacteria and
blue-green algal members of the Prokaryote from
the members of the other kingdoms is the lack of
membrane-bound structure around the genetic
material. The genetic material, deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA ), is dispersed through the inside of the
microorganism, a region that is typically referred to
as the cytoplasm . In contrast, eukaryotic organisms
have their genetic material compartmentalized
inside a specialized membrane.
• A second distinctive feature of the Prokaryotae
concerns their method of reproduction. Most
bacteria reproduce by growing and then splitting in
two. This is called binary fission. Eukaryotic
organisms have a more complex process that
involves the replication of their differently
organized genetic material and the subsequent
migration of the material to specific regions of the
cell.
• Blue-green algae and some bacteria are able to manufacture
their own food from sunlight through the process
of photosynthesis . Green plants likewise have this
capability. This type of bacteria are the photoautotrophs.
Other bacteria are able to utilize elements like nitrogen,
Sulphur, hydrogen, or iron to make their food. This type of
Prokaryote are the chemoautotrophs. But the bulk of the
Prokaryotae exists by decomposing and using compounds
made by other organisms. This decomposition is a vital
process. Without this bacterial activity, the wastes of other
organisms would blanket Earth.
• Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms such as bacteria that have no
distinct nucleus. In addition to the lack of a nucleus, prokaryotes lack
many of the other small organelles found in the larger eukaryotic cells.
• A typical prokaryote is bound by a plasma membrane and a cell wall.
Within this double boundary, the fluid material inside the cell (the
cytoplasm) is studded with small, rounded bodies called ribosomes.
The ribosomes are composed of nucleic acids and proteins, and
function in protein synthesis. The chromosomes containing the
hereditary material of prokaryotes are concentrated within a region
called the nucleoid. Because the nucleoid is not separated from the rest
of the cytoplasm by a membrane, it is not considered a true nucleus.
Dissolved in the cytoplasm of prokaryotes are the various chemicals
needed by the cell to function.
• And Prokaryotes were the first organisms to evolve on Earth, predating
eukaryotes in the fossil record by about one billion years. Appearing on
Earth 3.5 billion years ago, the first prokaryotes were probably bacteria
that performed photosynthesis (cyanobacteria), which is a process that
produces carbohydrates from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
• Eukaryotes are thought to have evolved when cells engulfed
prokaryotic cells, and incorporated them into their cytoplasm. Some of
the eukaryotic organelles, particularly mitochondria (the organelle that
contains energy-producing enzymes) and chloroplasts (the organelle
that contains photosynthetic enzymes in photosynthetic cells) resemble
individual free-living prokaryotic cells. Supporting this theory (called
the endosymbiotic theory) is the fact that mitochondria and
chloroplasts have their own DNA sequences, as if they were once
separate organisms in their own right.
THAT’S ALL FOR
PROKARYOTAE!!
QUESTIONS:
1-4.Give the four kingdoms in the classification system.
5.Who made the Linnaean system?
6.It is a group of bacteria derived from a single cell.
7.What is a process when the bacteria split into two.
8.It is a genetic material that dispersed through the inside of the microorganisms.
9.This is a process that some bacteria are able to manufacture their own food from sunlight.
10.The first bacteria that performed photosynthesis.
ANSWERS:

1-4.Prokaryotae,Protista,Fungi,Plantae
5.Carolus Linnaeus
6.Strain
7.Binary Fission
8.Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
9.Photosynthesis
10.Cyanobacteria