Diversity In Living World [Part 2]
Introduction to Biological Classification
Classification is the arrangement of things in taxonomic groups following the observed similarities.
It helps in understanding the group as a whole with simple ease. Now, here we’ll discuss with you the biological
classification and how it has simplified things for us.
What is Biological Classification?
Biological classification is the scientific procedure that involves the arrangement of organisms in a hierarchical
series of groups and sub-groups based on their similarities and dissimilarities.
Need for Classification
Right from the archaic times, several attempts have been made to classify the living organisms.
The first man to attempt a scientific basis of classification was Aristotle.
He used simple morphological characters to classify plants as trees, shrubs, and herbs. He classified the animals
into two groups:
o Enaima (with red blood)
o Anima (without red blood)
However, a need for a proper system of biological classification was always felt.
Need for classification of living organisms.
The study of one or two organisms is not sufficient to know the essential features of the group.
All kinds of organisms do not occur in one locality.
Classification helps in knowing the relationship between the different groups of organisms.
It helps in knowing the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Types of Classification System
Based on the types of system of classification, organisms are classified into the following kingdoms.
A. Two Kingdom Classification System
In the year 1758 Linnaeus (the father of the taxonomy system) divided all living organisms into two kingdoms.
These are Plantae and Animalia.
I. Features of Kingdom Plantae
The significant features of the kingdom Plantae are listed here.
They have a cell wall.
Autotrophic mode of nutrition is followed. The reserve food is starch.
A big central vacuole is present.
There aren’t any excretory organs, nervous system, sense organs, and muscular system.
No locomotion is seen except in some lower algae.
Plantae absorbs inorganic nutrients from the outside.
They experience unlimited growth but have well-defined growing points.
The response to external stimuli is slow.
II. Features of Kingdom Animalia
The significant features of the kingdom Animalia are listed here.
The cell wall is absent.
There are no inorganic crystals present in their cells.
The central is absent.
Growth is limited and well-defined growing points are not present.
A heterotrophic of nutrition is used.
Show quick response to external stimuli.
The muscular system is present.
Locomotion is present.
Excretory organs, the nervous system, and sense organs are present.
Reserve food as glycogen.
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B. Three Kingdom Classification System
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In the year 1866, Ernst Haeckel, classified living organisms into three kingdoms i.e. Plantae, Protista, and Animalia.
The new kingdom Protista included all those organisms, which lack the capability of tissue differentiation.
Diversity In Living World [Part 2]
This group included algae, fungi, and Protozoa.
Later, the kingdom Protista was reserved only for the unicellular organism.
Limitations of the Three Kingdom Classification System
No separation of Prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Both unicellular and multicellular organisms are classified under Protista.
C. Four Kingdom Classification System
In addition to Protista, Plantae, and Animalia, the four-kingdom classification system included Monera.
The studies with an electron microscope made it clear that bacteria and related organisms have a different nuclear
structure as compared to others. These are the prokaryotes.
As a result of this, Copeland in the year 1956, introduced the kingdom-Monera. Fungi continued to remain with
Plantae in this system.
D. Five Kingdom Classification System
In the year 1969, this classification came into existence.
RH Whittaker proposed this system. He created a separate group for fungi.
The primary criterion for classification here were:
Cell structure
Modes of nutrition
Reproduction
Thallus organization
Phylogenetic relationships
E. Six Kingdom Classification System
Carl Woese a Professor in the Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, came up with the Six Kingdom
Classification System in the year 1990.
It was also known as the three-domain system as its organism classification was done in three domains, i.e.,
Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.
It mainly used the basic principles of the five kingdom system but divided the Monera into two domains
Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, and other eukaryotes in the third kingdom.
I. Archaea
The Archaea domain includes prokaryotic organisms.
These have a monolayer core of lipids in the cell membrane and distinct nucleotides in their 16S RNA.
It contains a single kingdom called Archaebacteria.
This kingdom includes early prokaryotes.
These are methanogens, halophiles, and thermoacidophiles.
II. Bacteria
The bacteria domain consists of typical prokaryotes that lack membrane-covered cell organelles.
These do not have microchambers for separating various metabolic activities.
It also has a single kingdom-Eubacteria.
Kingdom-Eubacteria
The members of this kingdom have peptidoglycan cell walls, naked DNA in coiled form, and glycogen food
reserves.
There is no sap vacuole and 70S ribosomes are present.
The members of this kingdom are bacteria, mycoplasma, Actinomycetes, rickettsiae, spirochaetes, cyanobacteria,
and Firmicutes.
Eukarya
The domain eukarya contains all the eukaryotes.
The four kingdoms of this domain are:
Protista
Animalia
Plantae
Fungi
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Grow Your Interest
Question: Who discovered bacteria?
Ans: Anton von Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) discovered bacteria. He observed bacteria in 1675.
Diversity In Living World [Part 2]
Kingdom Monera
The bacteria have a huge kingdom of their own that consists of several varieties of them.
Each bacteria has a different role to play.
They belong to the kingdom Monera. Here, we will know all about the kingdom of Monera.
Characteristics of Monera
Monera (Monos – single) includes prokaryotes and shows the following characters:
They are typically unicellular organisms (but one group is mycelial).
The genetic material in these organisms is the naked circular DNA.
A nuclear envelope is absent.
Both, ribosomes and simple chromatophores, are the only subcellular organelles in the cytoplasm.
Sap vacuoles do not occur. Instead, a gas vacuole may be present.
The predominant mode of nutrition is absorptive but some groups are photosynthetic (holophytic) and
chemosynthetic.
The organisms are non-motile or move by the beating of simple flagella or by gliding.
Bacteria Shape
Cocci: They are oval or spherical.
Bacilli: They are rod-shaped. They may or may not have flagella.
Vibrios: These are small and ‘comma or kidney’ like. They have a flagellum at one end and are also motile. Vibrio
bacteria has a curve in its cell.
Spirillum: They are spiral or coiled like a corkscrew. The spiral forms are usually rigid and bear two or more
flagella at one or both ends e.g., Spirillum, Spirochaetes, etc.
Filament: Just like fungal mycelia, the body of the bacterium is filamentous. The filaments are very minute in size.
Examples include Beggiota, Thiothrix, etc.
Stalked: The body of a bacterium possesses a stalk e.g., Caulobacter.
Budded: The body of the bacterium is swollen at places e.g., Rhodomicrobiu
Structure of Bacteria
1. Capsule
In a large number of bacteria, a slimy capsule is present outside the cell wall.
It is composed of polysaccharides and nitrogenous substances (amino acids) are also present in addition.
This slime layer becomes thick, called, a capsule.
The bacteria, that form a capsule, are’ called capsulated or virulent bacteria.
The capsule ‘is usually found in parasitic forms e.g., Bacillus, anthracite, Diplococcus pneumoniae, Mycobacterium
tuberculosis.
2. Cell wall
All bacterial cells are covered by a strong, rigid cell wall. Therefore, we classify them as plants.
Inner to the capsule, the cell wall is present.
It is made up of polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids.
We also find D-glutamic acid and diaminopimelic acid.
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3. Plasma membrane
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Each bacterial cell has a plasma membrane.
It is situated just internal to the cell wall.
It is a thin, elastic, and also differentially or selectively permeable membrane.
Diversity In Living World [Part 2]
4. Cytoplasm
The cytoplasm refers to a complex and aqueous fluid or semifluid ground substance (matrix).
This material consists of vitamins, salts, enzymes, carbohydrates, soluble proteins, co-enzymes, lipids, minerals,
and nucleic acids.
The organic matter is present in the colloidal state.
The cytoplasm is granular due to the presence of a large number of ribosomes.
5. Nucleoid
It has other common names like genophore, naked nucleus, or incipient nucleus.
There is nuclear material in these, DNA.
It is double helical as well as circular.
Some kind of typical protein surrounds it. However, these are not histone proteins.
6. Plasmids
In addition to the normal DNA chromosomes, many bacteria (e.g., E.coli) have extrachromosomal genetic elements
or DNA. These elements are plasmids.
They are small circular double-stranded molecules.
7. Flagella
These are fine, thread-like, protoplasmic appendages.
These extend through the cell wall and the slime layer of the flagellated bacterial cells.
These help bacteria to swim about in the liquid medium.
8. Pili or Fimbriae
Besides flagella, some tiny hair-like outgrowths are present on the bacterial cell surface. These are pili.
They comprise pilin protein.
They consequently measure about 0.5-2 mm in length and 3-5mm in diameter.
Nutrition in Bacteria
Based on the mode of nutrition, we can group bacteria into two broad categories. The first is autotrophic whereas the
second is heterotrophic bacteria.
Autotrophic bacteria
These bacteria can synthesize their food from inorganic substances, as green plants do.
They derive their carbon from carbon dioxide.
The hydrogen needed to reduce carbon to organic form comes from sources such as atmospheric H2, H2S, or NH3.
Heterotrophic bacteria
Most of the bacteria cannot synthesize their organic food.
They consequently depend on external organic materials.
They require at least one organic compound as a source of carbon for their growth and energy. Such bacteria are
heterotrophic bacteria.
Heterotrophic bacteria are of three types: Parasites, Saprotrophs, and Symbionts.
Grow Your Interest
Question: Write a short note on cyanobacteria.
Answer: Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae are photosynthetic prokaryotes. They perform
oxygenic photosynthesis. Photosynthetic pigments include chlorophyll a, carotenoids, and phycobilins. They primarily
store the food in the form of cyanophycean starch, lipid globules, and protein granules. We can trace their origin to
around 3 billion years back. They consequently added oxygen to the atmosphere. These bacteria also paved the path
for the evolution of aerobic forms, including aerobic bacteria.
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