Systematics of Living Organisms XI CH-2


XI   CH-2                                                                            Systematics  of  Living  Organisms                               

1)Kingdom Monera

2)Kingdom Protista                         

3) Kingdom Plantae                                                                                   

4) Kingdom Fungi

5)Kingdom Animalia

Salient features of Five Kingdoms                                                

1)Kingdom Monera :

1)It contains unicellular organisms with prokaryotic cellular organization. .

2)Monera includes unicellular prokaryotic organisms. .

3)These are omnipresent. .

3)They are found in all types of environment which are not generally inhabited by other living beings.

4) Few are photoautotrophs or chemoautotrophs; but majority are heterotrophic in nature. .

5)These organisms do not have well defined nucleus. .

6)DNA exists as a simple double stranded circular single chromosome called as nucleoid.

7)Smaller circular molecules of DNA as extra- chromosomal genetic elements called plasmids are often present. .

8)Cell wall is made up of peptidoglycan (also called murein) which is a polymer of sugars and amino acids.

9)Membrane bound organelles e.g.mitochondria,chloroplast,endoplasmic reticulum are absent. .

10)Ribosomes are smaller in size (70S) than in eukaryotic cells. .

11)The mode of reproduction in monera is asexual or with the help of binary fission or budding. .

12)Very rarely, sexual reproduction is by conjugation method. .

13)Morphologicaly,bacteria are categorised into four groups, the spherical- Coccus, the rod-shaped bacillus, the comma or kidney shaped- vibrio and the spiral- spirillum.

14)On the basis of evolution, bacteria can be classified as Archaebacteria and Eubacteria.

a)Archebacteria :

1)These are differentiated from other bacteria on the basis of their different cellular features. .

2)These  bacteria  are  mostly   found in the extreme environments; hence termed extremophiles. .

3)They are found  in  a  variety of places from volcanic craters to salty lakes and hot springs. .

4)Their ability to withstand such hostile environment speaks of  their  capacity to survive in very severe conditions.

5)Bacteria that can withstand high salinities are called halophiles while those that withstand extreme temperature are known as thermophiles. ..

6)A very common example is of methanogenic bacteria found in gut of ruminants (cows and buffaloes).

7)These bacteria help in production of methane in biogas plants.



b)Eubacteria :

1)These are commonly called true bacteria.

2)They have cell wall of  Peptidoglycan .

3)They are found as autotrophs and heterotrophs.

4)The autotrophs can be photosynthetic like Chlorobium (Green sulphur bacteria) and Chromatium or chemosynthetic like sulphur bacteria.

5)These are mostly multicellular filamentous.

6)They are living in fresh water.

6)The body is covered  by  mucilagenous  sheath.

7)The genetic material is typical prokaryotic.

8)The photosynthetic pigments are  Chl-a, Chl-b, carotenes and xanthothylls

9)Filaments show heterocyst  helps in nitrogen fixation. 10)Heterotrophs are the most abundant.

11)Most of them are  decomposers  and  known  for breaking down large molecules in simple molecules or minerals.

12)Eg. some anaerobes helping in curdling of milk (Lactobacilli), fixation of nitrogen (Az otobacter), antibiotic production. (Streptomyces), composting and degrading oil.

13) Some of them are pathogens i.e. causing disease (typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis, tetanus).



Mycoplasma :

These are smallest of the living forms.

They do not have cell wall.

Many forms are pathogenic.

They are found resistant to common. antibiotics due to absence of cell wall.

2) Kingdom Protista :

They are all the unicellular but eukaryotic organisms. These organisms show link with all eukaryotic Kingdoms like Plantae, Fungi and Animalia.

a)Plant like protista :

1)They are also termed Chrysophytes. .

2)They are commonly termed phyto-planktons.

3)They are microscopic and mostly photosynthetic and are major producers in oceans.

4)Most of them are referred to as diatoms as the have body wall made up of two soap-box like fitting silica covers. .

5)“Diatomaceous earth" is nothing but these shells left behind for so many years.

6)Diatomaceous earth is granular hence finds use in polishing and filtration.



b)Animal like Protista :-                                                                              

1)They are also termed protozoans.

2)They lack cell wall.

3)They are heterotrophsThey are believed to be primitive animal forms.

4) Amoeboid protozoans have pseudopodia as locomotory organs Amoeba is free living form but Entamoeba is endoparasite and causes amoebic dysentery.

5)Flagellated protozoans have flagella  as  locomotory organ.

6)Trypanosoma is a common flagellated pathogen which causes sleeping sickness.

7)Paramoecium is a cilliate protozoan having cilia for locomotion.

8)In Paramoecium, gullet (cavity) opens on the cellsurface.

9)Plasmodium is a sporozoan protozoa.

10)It causes malaria. It forms spores in one of its life stage.



c)Dinoflagellates :-                                                                       

1)These are aquatic (mostly marine) .

2)These are photosynthetic.

3)The  cell   wall is made up of cellulosic stiff plates.

4)They possess a pair of flagella.

5)They have a wide range photosynthetic pigments, are yellow, green, brown, blue and red.

6) It makes even sea appear red ,Gonyaulax is dinoflagellate that is responsible for famous ‘red tide’.



d)Fungi like protista :-                                                                       

1)They are commonly from the group Myxomycetes.

2)These are saprophytic organisms found on decaying leaves.

3)Their cellsaggregate to form a large cell mass called plasmodium (not a malaria parasite).

4)The spores produced by plasmodium are very tough and survive even very harsh conditions

e)Euglenoids :-                                                      

They lack cell wall but have a tough covering of proteinaceous pellicle.

They are two flagella, one short and other long. They behave as heterotrophs in absence of light but possess pigments, similar to that of higher plants, for photosynthesis.



3) Kingdom Plantae:

1)The kingdom is dominated by autotrophs.

2)It also includes some semi- autotrophic members, the insectivorous plants like Venus fly trap, pitcher plant, bladderwort .                                                                                    

3)The are  heterotrophic parasitic members  like Cuscuta

4)The are multicellular, having eukaryotic cells containing chlorophyll.

5)Cells have cell wall mostly made up of cellulose.

6)Plants exhibit alternation of generation i.e., life cycle has two distinct phases.

7)Kingdom Plantae is divided into two major groups Cryptogamae / Cryptogams and Phanerogamae / Phanerogams.

4) Kingdom Fungi :                                                         .

1)These are eukaryotic heterotrophs showing extracellular digestion. .

2)They are found in warm and humid places. .

3)They have simple body which may be unicellular or made up of long thread like structures called hyphae. .

4) Mushrooms is Large fungi  have a compact mass of cells. .

5) They are Unicellular organisms have a  protoplast  with  many  nuclei.  e.g. Rhizopus, Saccharomyces (Yeast-unicellular fungus).

6)Filamentous fungi consist of a body called mycellium in which hyphae are present. .

7)The hyphae  may be uni or multinucleate. .

8)The non-septate multinucleate hyphae are called coenocytic hyphae. .

9)The cell  is composed of chitin, a polysaccharide or fungal cellulose. .

10)The fungi are  hetrotrophic  ,saprophytic, some are parasitic or predators. .

11)They reproduce sexually as well as asexually.

12)Asexual reproduction takes place by fragmentation, fission and budding. .

12)Some  are symbiotic;  live with algae as lichens or as mycorrhiza in association with roots of higher plants.

13) Useful  fungi   -Mushrooms are consumed as food, yeast is used in bakery and breweries. Penicillium, a fungus, is well known for antibiotic production. .

14)Harmful fungi cause diseases in plants and animals. e.g. Puccinia.

classification of fungi - on the basis of theirstructure, mode of spore formation and fruiting bodies as follows-

a)Phycomycetes .

        i)These are commonly called algal fungi. .

        Ii)Mycelium is made up of aseptate  coenocytic  hyphae.

        iii)They commonly grow in moist and damp habitats, on decaying organic matter. .

        iv)These are  aquatic habitats or as parasites on plants.

        v)e.g. Mucor, Rhiz opus (bread mould), Albugo (parasitic fungus on mustard).



b)Ascomycetes :

        i)These are called as sac-fungi. .

        ii)These fungi are mostly multicellular. .

        iii)Rarely unicellular varieties include yeast. .

        iv)The hyphae are branched and septate. .

        v)Sac fungi can be decomposers, parasites or coprophilous (grow on dung). .

        vi)Morels and  truffles  are  varieties  of sac fungi that are consumed as delicacies. .

        vii)useful in genetic and biochemical assays eg.Neurospora .

        viii)Ex.Aspergillus,Penicillium,        Claviceps, Neurospora, Saccharomyces.

c)Basidiomycetes :These are commonly called club fungi.  They have branched, septate hyphae. e.g. Agaricus (mushrooms), Ganoderma (bracket fungi),U stilago (smuts), Puccinia (rusts), etc.

d)Deuteromycetes :

        These are called imperfect fungi, which are known to reproduce only asexually.

        e.g. Alternaria, Colletotrichum

5)Kingdom Animalia :                                                  

        i) Animalia are heterotrophs.

        ii)Adapted to  holozoic  nutrition.

        iii)Most of them have capacity of locomotion.

        iv)They are multicellular eukaryotes where cells lack chlorophyll as well as cell wall.

        v)Growth is determinate with  definite pattern.

Acellular organisms :

1)Viruses :                                                                                                                                     

        i)Louis Pasteur named Viruses so by considering the meaning, Venom or poison. .

        ii)These  given the name 'virus' by M. J. Beijernek, .

        iii)When observation that they were able to migrate in an agar gel.

        iv)infectious soluble agent, he called the filtrate as 'contagium vivum fluidum'.

        v)It was scientist Stanley who demonstrated that viruses are  inert  outside  the host cell and can be crystallised.

       vi)They are made up of proteins.                                                                                              

      ix)They have protein coat (capsid) around nucleic acid strand, thus considered to be acellular organisms

      x)Viruses lack their own cell machinery. Viruses are inactive outside a host cell; but once they enter their specific host cell, they take charge of cellular machinery of host cell and duplicate themselves.  

xi)Viruses thus can be called infectious nucleoprotein particles.

Types of viruses :

i)Viruses have either DNA or RNA as their genetic material but never DNA as well as RNA.

ii)As per genetic material, viruses are grouped as DNA or RNA viruses.     

  iii) Protein coat called capsid is made up of smaller units, the capsomeres.    

 iv)Capsomeres are arranged in polyhedral or helical forms.                       

v)Capsid protects genetic material.   

vi)The genetic material in viruses is either single-stranded RNA or single or double- stranded RNA or double-stranded DNA.

vii) Bacterial Viruses that infect bacterial cells are called bacteriophages which normally have double stranded DNA                                                                                                

vii) Plants Viruses cause disorders like leaf curling, yellowing, mosaic formation etc,  in plants.

vii) Animals  Viruses  You have heard of foot and mouth disease in animals . .

vii) Humans Viruses. swine flu, Small pox, mumps, herpes to common cold, AIDS, viruses are the causative agents of many diseases in humans. 





2)Viroids :                                                                            

These infectious RNA strands are called viroids 

Potato spindle tuber disease was found to be caused by single stranded RNA which lacks protein coat.

T. O. Diener in 1971 reported that this is low molecular weight RNA and smaller in size than viruses.

3)Lichens :                                                                                                         

i)Lichen is  symbiotic combination of algae and fungi for mutual benefit. .

ii)Algal member, is called  phycobiont   a, mostly belongs to cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) or green algae. .

iii)Fungal member is called  mycobiont. .

iv)The algal component of lichens provides food to fungal part while fungus provides shelter to alga and also absorbed water and minerals to alga. .

v)The association is intense and it is difficult to identify them as separate living beings.

vii)Though found in extreme environments like snow clad  poles,  lichens  are  sensitive  to pollution. .

vii)They are not found in polluted regions, hence are considered as pollution indicators. .

viii)Lichens  also   play   important  role in soil formation by using specific acid productions.




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