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Module - 2 - Biological Classification

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Module - 2 - Biological Classification

Uploaded by

Shuvadipta Das
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Taxonomic Hierarchy

Biological classification
The classification systems have undergone several changes with time. The
characteristics of organisms vary greatly. The structure, form, life cycle, and
metabolism of all living organisms differ. These numerous organisms are divided into
groups for easy identification and comprehension.

The first attempt of classification was made by Aristotle (Father of Biology). He


classified living organisms based on their ability to move from one place to another or
locomote. This gave rise to two groups, plants which are non-motile and animals
which are motile. He used simple morphological features to further classify plants
into herbs, shrubs and trees and classified animals on the basis of presence and
absence of RBC. He also made an attempt in classifying different organisms based on
where they live - land, water, or air. This system of classification failed to classify all
the known organisms.
Two Kingdom Classification System

Carolus Linnaeus is the father of taxonomy (the


system of classifying and naming organisms). One of
his contributions was the development of a
hierarchical system of classification of nature. Today,
this system includes eight taxa: domain, kingdom,
phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. He
was a forerunner in modern biological
nomenclature. He divided organisms into two
kingdoms. He divided all living things into two
kingdoms: the animal kingdom and the plant
kingdom. This two-kingdom classification served as
the foundation for modern classification. He has
clearly distinguished between animals and plants in
his classification.
However, with the discovery of more species and organisms,
it became harder to fit organisms under just these two classes.
For example, fungi were placed under the kingdom Plantae in the
starting, but they more closely resembled animals. Other
organisms like lichens could not be placed under the kingdom
Plantae or Animalia because of their different nature. Therefore,
a new system of classification was needed, and the two-kingdom
system of classification was discarded.
Three Kingdom Classification
System
It was given by Ernst Haeckel. He
divided organisms in the
environment into 3 different
categories based on their
characteristics, functions, etc. The
three kingdoms were:
Animalia(animals), Plantae(plants)
and protista(eukaryotes). This
classification was later abolished as
Prokaryotes and eukaryotes were
not separated.
Four Kingdom Classification
System
Herbert F. Copeland introduced 4
kingdom classification. The four
kingdoms include Monera, Protista,
Metaphyta and Metazoa.
The drawback of the four-kingdom
classification was that it included
Fungi along with Plantae. This was
not accurate because heterotrophic
fungi (saprophytic) were placed
along with autotrophic plants.
The Five Kingdom Classification System

In 1969, Robert Whittaker was the biologist who


proposed the Five Kingdom Classification. The
Kingdoms in this classification were classified based
on cell structure, thallus organisation, mode of
nutrition, reproduction, and phylogenetic
relationships.
R. H. Whittaker proposed the Five Kingdom
Classification, and this classification made it easier to
classify organisms into five different kingdoms-
1. Monera
2. Protista
3. Fungi
4. Plantae
5. Animalia
Monera
The kingdom Monera of the five classification system categorizes bacteria underneath it has the following
characteristics:
➢ It contains all microscopic living organisms.
➢ Kingdom Monera groups the prokaryotes together.
➢ The monerans can be found in all habitats.
➢ They are single-celled organisms with an absence of a well-defined nucleus.
➢ The cells of monerans have cell walls formed from amino acids and polysaccharides.
➢ The mode of nutrition of monerans can be either autotrophic or heterotrophic.
Example: Bacteria and Blue green algae etc are the examples for Kingdom Monera.(Blue-green algae or
cyanobacteria are a group of microscopic, photosynthetic bacteria seen in a range of water bodies).

Protista
The general characteristics:
➢ The cell type of the Protists is eukaryotic.
➢ The organisms under Protista are unicellular.
➢ These organisms usually use cilia, flagella, or amoeboid movement to move.
➢ It has both autotrophs and heterotrophs.
➢ The presence of a nuclear membrane marks the kingdom.
➢ Some Protists have cell walls.
Example: Algae, amoebas, euglena, plasmodium, and slime moulds etc are examples of protists.
Fungi
➢ General characteristics of Fungi are:
➢ The kingdom contains eukaryotes.
➢ A non-cellulosic cell wall made of chitin and
polysaccharides is present in species of this kingdom.
➢ A nuclear membrane is present in the organism’s cells.
➢ Fungi consist of heterotrophs, which can be parasitic or
saprophytes.

➢ Few Fungi are classified as symbionts. The symbionts living with algae are called lichens. At the same time,
the ones living in association with higher plants are known as mycorrhiza. (A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic
relationship between a roots of a plant and a fungus while lichen associates between a fungus and an
algae). Fungi species contain slender hyphae with long thread-like constructions. The mycelium is a web of
hyphae.
➢ Some hyphae are unbroken tubes with multinucleated cytoplasm called coenocytic hyphae.
Example: yeasts, moulds and mushrooms etc.
Plantae
The features of the classification of plants kingdom are:
The classification of kingdom Plantae consists of eukaryotes that have chloroplasts.
The kingdom mostly has autotrophs, but there are certain exceptions.
Plants have a cellulosic cell wall with the presence of a nuclear membrane.
Example: All multicellular plants.
Animalia
This kingdom has the following features:
Animals are eukaryotes.
They do not have cell walls.
Unlike the classification of kingdom Plantae, there are heterotrophs underneath the Animalia kingdom.
Most species of this kingdom are adept at locomotion.
Example: All multicellular animals.

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