Kingdoms of living organisms. The meaning of the word kingdom in the biology encyclopedia What comes after the kingdom in biology

They were divided into two kingdoms - the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom. The main difference between animals and plants was the method of nutrition. Animals were considered to be those who used ready-made organic material as food ( heterotrophic mode of nutrition), plants - organisms that themselves synthesize the necessary organic material from inorganic compounds ( autotrophic mode of nutrition). More precisely, heterotrophic organisms are those that must receive it in the form of organic compounds, and autotrophic organisms are able to use carbon in inorganic form, namely in the form of carbon dioxide (CO 2, carbon dioxide). Usually they have to search for food and therefore they must be capable of locomotion. And this presupposes the presence of a nervous system that ensures coordination of movements in more highly organized animals. They lead a sedentary lifestyle, they are unable to move and, therefore, they do not need a nervous system.

However, this classification overlooks the obvious fact that all cellular organisms fall into two natural groups, now called prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

There is a fundamental difference between these two groups. The terms "prokaryotes" and "eukaryotes" reflect the difference in the location (of genetic material) in the cell. In prokaryotes, DNA is not surrounded by a nuclear membrane and floats freely in the cytoplasm. In other words, these cells do not have a true (formed) nucleus (pro – in front; karyon – nucleus). In eukaryotic cells there is a real nucleus (eu - completely, well). Eukaryotes evolved from prokaryotes.

Rice. 2.4. A. Classification according to Margelis and Schwartz: all organisms are divided into five kingdoms. Viruses do not correspond to any of the groups in this classification of living organisms, since they are too simple, do not have a cellular structure and are not able to exist independently of other organisms. B. Evolutionary relationships among the five kingdoms. As can be seen from the diagram, starting with the protoctists, evolution occurred in the direction of multicellularity.

The division of all organisms into animals and plants faces certain difficulties. For example, mushrooms are heterotrophs, but they are not able to move. So where should we put them? To overcome this situation, it was decided that there should be more than two kingdoms. In 1982, Margulis and Schwartz proposed a system involving five kingdoms - the kingdom of prokaryotes and four kingdoms of eukaryotes (Fig. 2.4). The Margelis and Schwartz system has received wide recognition and is now recommended for use. Eukaryotes are considered to form the superkingdom Eukaryotae. The most controversial group are the Protoctists, perhaps because they are not a natural group. This issue is discussed in detail in Section. 2.6.

Another group of “organisms” that do not fit into any classification system are viruses. Viruses are extremely small particles consisting only of genetic material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protective protein coat. Unlike all other organisms, viruses do not have a cellular structure and are able to reproduce only after penetrating a living cell. The nature of viruses is discussed in Sect. 2.4, and in Fig. 2.4, And they are allocated to an additional group.

All the smallest organisms, although they do not form a natural taxonomic unit, are often grouped together under the general name microorganisms or microbes. This group includes (prokaryotes), viruses, fungi and protoctists. Such a combination is convenient for practical purposes, since the methods used to study these organisms are usually similar. So, in particular, for their visual observation it is necessary, and their cultivation should be carried out under aseptic conditions. The science that studies microorganisms forms one of the branches of biology called. Microorganisms are becoming increasingly important in such fields of science as biochemistry, genetics, agrobiology and medicine; In addition, they form the basis of an important branch of industry called biotechnology. This issue is discussed in more detail in Chap. 12. Some microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, also play an important ecological role as decomposers (section 10.3.2.).

The nature of our planet is rich and diverse. To systematize it, all living organisms were conditionally divided into kingdoms. In this article you will learn how many kingdoms of living nature exist on Earth, and get acquainted with the distinctive features of all living things.

Initially, all living organisms are divided into two empires: cellular (composed of cells) and extracellular (viruses).

Viruses cannot synthesize proteins on their own. It is produced when cells become infected.

Rice. 1. Viruses.

Organisms made up of cells are divided into four kingdoms:

• Bacteria (protozoa) - have a fairly simple structure, they have no organelles, no nuclear membrane, DNA molecules are located in the cytoplasm. Such organisms can feed through the cell surface or produce nutrients independently (blue-green algae). Bacteria can be both beneficial and harmful. They are used for fermenting vegetables and preparing fermented milk products. But there are also pathogenic bacteria that are dangerous to human life and health.
• Plants - A distinctive feature of a plant cell is plastids, one of which is chloroplasts. Photosynthesis occurs in them - the process of formation of organic nutrients from inorganic substances (water, carbon dioxide) under the influence of solar energy.

All plants “make their own food” (autotrophs). The main ingredients are water, air and sun.

The structure of a plant cell is more complex than that of bacteria. There is a dense shell that contains cellulose. Inside the cytoplasm there are organelles, each of which performs specific functions (protein synthesis, accumulation of nutrients, etc.).

Another distinctive feature of a plant cell is the presence of a vacuole - a container where nutrients or unnecessary metabolic products are stored.

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• Mushrooms - the kingdom of living nature, which combines the characteristics of plants and animals. Similarity with a plant organism is the presence of a dense cell wall, which is formed from chitin. Fungi do not have plastids, so they cannot “cook their own food” themselves. Just like animals, they are heterotrophs. Fungi feed on ready-made nutrients by absorption from the environment. The special structure of a mushroom cell is the hypha, which forms entire plexuses of threads called mycelium.
• Animals - are heterotrophs. Animal cells do not have a dense membrane, so some of them can contract to form muscle tissue. This feature makes it possible to actively move, and the musculoskeletal system appears. Animal cells have centrioles located near the nucleus, which play an important role during the cell division process.

Rice. 2. Kingdoms of living nature.

Distinctive features of wildlife

The distinctive features of the kingdoms of living nature include:

• the presence of organic substances in cells (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, nucleic acids);
• the structural and functional unit is the cell;
• metabolism, i.e. a set of transformations, chemical reactions inside the body during breathing and nutrition;
• response to environmental influences or irritability;
• reproduction - reproduction of similar individuals;
• ability to adapt to environmental conditions;
• the ability to evolve, which gives such diversity to all living things;
• growth and development of the body.

Rice. 3. Signs of wildlife.

What have we learned?

Living nature is divided into four kingdoms: bacteria, plants, fungi and animals. Viruses are considered a separate kingdom, since they do not have a cellular structure. Every living thing on the planet has its own distinctive characteristics. These include breathing, reproduction, nutrition, growth and development, without them the normal functioning of the body is impossible. Using this material, you can quickly and easily restore knowledge for 5th grade biology and prepare for any test on the topic.

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Initially, people divided all living nature into animals. This classification is reflected in the works of Aristotle. Even Carl Linnaeus, the founder of the modern classification of species, who lived in the 18th century, still divided living organisms only into the plant and animal kingdoms.

In the mid-17th century, single-celled organisms were discovered, initially they were distributed into two known kingdoms, and only in the 19th century a separate kingdom was allocated for them - Protists.

After the electron microscope appeared, it became possible to study the smallest organisms in detail. Scientists have found that some of them have a nucleus, while others do not, and it was proposed to divide all living organisms according to this characteristic.

The modern system emerged in 1969, when Robert Whittaker proposed dividing organisms based on the principle of their nutrition.

Robert Whittaker was the first to classify fungi as a separate kingdom.

Plant Kingdom

This kingdom includes multicellular autotrophic organisms, the cells of which have a durable shell, usually consisting of cellulose. Plants will be divided into a subkingdom of simple plants and a subkingdom of higher plants.

Animal Kingdom

This kingdom includes multicellular heterotrophic organisms; they are distinguished by independent mobility and nutrition mainly by ingesting food. The cells of such organisms usually do not have a dense wall.

Kingdom of Mushrooms

Fungi are multicellular saprophytes, that is, organisms that feed by processing dead organic matter. They differ in that their activities do not leave excrement. Fungi reproduce by spores. The kingdom is divided into a subkingdom of fungi and a subkingdom of myxomycetes; scientists argue about whether the latter should be classified as the kingdom of Mushrooms.

Kingdom Bacteria

The kingdom of Bacteria includes single-celled organisms that do not have a full-fledged nucleus. There are autotrophic bacteria and heterotrophic bacteria. Bacteria are usually motile. Since bacteria do not have a nucleus, they are classified as prokaryotes. All bacteria have a dense cell wall.

Kingdom Protists

Organisms whose cells have a nucleus are most often unicellular. Organisms fall into the kingdom of Protists according to the residual principle, that is, when they cannot be attributed to other kingdoms of organisms. Protists include algae and protozoa.

Kingdom of Viruses

Viruses are located on the border between living and nonliving nature; they are non-cellular formations that are a set of complex molecules in a protein shell. Viruses can only reproduce while in a living cell of another organism.

Kingdom of the Chromists

A small number of organisms - some algae, several fungi-like organisms - have 2 nuclei in their cells. They were separated into a separate kingdom only in 1998.

Kingdom Archaea

The first archaea were found in geothermal springs

The simplest prenuclear single-celled organisms that were among the first to appear on Earth; they are adapted to live not in an oxygen atmosphere, but in a methane atmosphere, so they are found in extreme environments.

Traditionally, all living organisms are divided into three domains (superkingdoms) and six kingdoms, but some sources may indicate a different classification system.

Organisms are placed into kingdoms based on similarities or shared characteristics. Some of the traits that are used to define a kingdom include: cell type, nutrient acquisition, and reproduction. The two main types of cells are and cells.

Common methods of obtaining nutrients include absorption and ingestion. Types of reproduction include and.

Below is a list of the six kingdoms of life and a brief description of the organisms that comprise them.

Kingdom of Archaea

Archaea growing in Morning Glory Lake in Yellowstone National Park produce vibrant color

Initially, these prokaryotes with one were considered bacteria. They are found in and have a unique type of ribosomal RNA. The composition of these organisms allows them to live in very challenging environments, including hot springs and hydrothermal vents.

• Domain: Archaea;
• Organisms: methanogens, halophiles, thermophiles, psychrophiles;
• Cell type: prokaryotic;
• Metabolism: depending on the type - metabolism may require oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, sulfur, sulfide;
• Method of nutrition: depending on the species - food consumption can be carried out by absorption, non-photosynthetic photophosphorylation or chemosynthesis;
• Reproduction: Asexual reproduction by binary fission, budding or fragmentation.

Note: in some cases, archaea are classified as belonging to the Kingdom of Bacteria, but most scientists classify them as a separate Kingdom. In fact, DNA and RNA data show that archaea and bacteria are so different that they cannot be combined into one Kingdom.

Kingdom Bacteria

Escherichia coli

These organisms are considered true bacteria and are classified under the domain of bacteria. Although most bacteria do not cause illness, some can cause serious illness. Under optimal conditions, they reproduce at an alarming rate. Most bacteria reproduce by binary fission.

• Domain: ;
• Organisms: bacteria, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), actinobacteria;
• Cell type: prokaryotic;
• Metabolism: depending on the species - oxygen may be toxic, transportable or necessary for metabolism;
• Method of nutrition: depending on the type - food consumption can be carried out by absorption, photosynthesis or chemosynthesis;
• Reproduction: asexual.

Kingdom Protista

• Domain: Eukaryotes;
• Organisms: amoebas, green algae, brown algae, diatoms, euglena, slimy forms;
• Cell type: eukaryotic;
• Feeding mode: depending on the species - food consumption includes absorption, photosynthesis or ingestion;
• Reproduction: predominantly asexual. occurs in some species.

Kingdom Mushrooms

Includes both single-celled (yeast and mold) and multicellular (fungi) organisms. They are decomposers and obtain nutrients through absorption.

• Domain: Eukaryotes;
• Organisms: fungi, yeast, mold;
• Cell type: eukaryotic;
• Metabolism: Oxygen is necessary for metabolism;
• Nutrition method: absorption;
• Reproduction: sexual or asexual.

Plant Kingdom

They are extremely important for all life on Earth, since they release oxygen and provide other living organisms with shelter, food, etc. This diverse group contains vascular or avascular plants, flowering or non-flowering plants, and others.

• Domain: Eukaryotes;
• Organisms: mosses, angiosperms (flowering plants), gymnosperms, liverworts, ferns;
• Cell type: eukaryotic;
• Metabolism: Oxygen is necessary for metabolism;
• Nutrition method: photosynthesis;
• Reproduction: Organisms undergo alternating generations. The sexual phase (gametophyte) is replaced by the asexual phase (sporophyte).

Animal Kingdom

This Kingdom includes everyone. These multicellular eukaryotes depend on plants and other organisms for sustenance. Most animals live in aquatic environments and range from tiny tardigrades to extremely large blue whales.

• Domain: Eukaryotes;
• Organisms: mammals, amphibians, sponges, insects, worms;
• Cell type: eukaryotic;
• Metabolism: Oxygen is necessary for metabolism;
• Method of feeding: ingestion;
• Reproduction: Most animals reproduce sexually, but some animals reproduce asexually.

Greetings, friends of nature. Today I want to tell you which kingdoms of living nature and their representatives exist and rule on our land. They interested me in their rich diversity, since nature created all its diversity over many millions of years.

It turns out that this is not one kingdom, but several, and they cannot live without each other, because in nature everything is interconnected. Do you know the representatives of the kingdom of living nature?

How beautiful our earth is at any time of the year, where everything is so rationally arranged that all living organisms on it, to one degree or another, depend on each other.

Sometimes we don’t even think about it and don’t pay attention. I will try to tell you about what kingdoms of nature exist, what they are called and how many there are.

These tiny microorganisms - microbes and bacteria - exist everywhere you look. But they can only be seen under a microscope due to their small size. And so, looking into the microscope lens, you can find bacteria with different structures.

There are those in the form of a ball, and there are also straight bacteria - like a stick, some are curved, while others have bizarre shapes. Their variety is so rich that it would be difficult to list them all here.

Speaking about bacteria, all of them can be divided into:

1. Useful, which are found in every living creature and help not only to properly digest food, but also protect against various diseases.
2. Harmful, which cause various poisonings and disorders of the digestive system and other organs.

In addition, in this kingdom there are still bacteria and microbes, the first of which, as I said above, can be both useful and harmful. But microbes are only harmful.

This is how this kingdom of good and bad microorganisms works in brief.

Kingdom of Viruses

So, for example, the hepatitis virus can live in the human body without damaging liver cells for many years. Currently known:

After reading this name of the kingdom, you probably thought about forest mushrooms? Of course, you thought correctly, but there are still a lot of mushrooms in the world, growing not only in the forest in the clearing, but also on the river and seabed.

More than 100 thousand species of mushrooms are known to our science today. It turns out that the most common yeast is . And the well-known forest mushrooms are edible and inedible.

Molds are also ubiquitous and can sometimes be difficult to get rid of.

They can be very harmful, as they lead to crop losses and diseases of people and animals. But among them there are also useful mushrooms, such as penicillium. Isn’t it a familiar name, apparently you guessed that the antibiotic penicillin is obtained from it.

Almost everyone who has their own personal plot grows currant or gooseberry bushes. And everyone strives to treat them against powdery mildew in the spring. This plant disease is caused by powdery mildew fungi.

Well, who doesn’t know this fabulous kingdom, which is so rich and diverse?

Their representatives make us happy both at home and on the street. Every spring, various plants bloom and bloom, giving us flowers that exude a delicate aroma.

There are about 400 thousand species of plants on our planet. The table below explains what species the plant kingdom is divided into.

And I would also add medicinal and poisonous plants to them. I hope you don't mind this?

This numerous kingdom plays a huge role on our earth, as it enriches the air with oxygen and provides food for many animals. And you and I grow their representatives in our dacha:

1. fruits and berries,
2. fruits and vegetables,
3. flowers and roses,
4. trees and shrubs.

Trees give us cool shade in hot weather, and warm our homes in cold weather. Without it, life on earth will cease to exist.

animal kingdom

A microscopic amoeba and a huge blue whale, what do they have in common, you ask? One is big, and the other is very tiny. And yet they are in this one kingdom. And why? Yes, because they feed, reproduce and breathe on their own.

Approximately 2 million species in the animal kingdom live on our planet. Unicellular or multicellular living organisms, they all exist and evolve for more than one million years.

Representatives of all these 5 kingdoms live and prosper, mutually complementing each other.

It is impossible to imagine a predatory wolf grazing in a clearing and chewing grass. Or a curly-haired lamb hunting a long-eared hare. After all, this is impossible in nature. So all the kingdoms of the living world cannot exist without each other.

Living organisms, dying, are processed by bacteria. Viruses, killing the host, provide food for bacteria. The bacteria, in turn, provide food to the plants. Plants produce oxygen and feed animals. The circulation of living beings in nature is indisputable proof of their interconnection.

Take a look at all this diversity of the kingdoms of nature, which are presented here as a small but visual diagram, and everything will become clear to you.

I hope you enjoyed my short overview of the kingdoms of living nature and their representatives, and you learned a lot from it that was useful for yourself. Write about it in your comments, I will be interested to know about it. And that's all for today. Let me say goodbye to you and see you again.

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