Anmol Sir Capsule Notes: Biological Classification
Aristotle's classification: Plants to trees, shrubs Drawbacks:
& herbs. Prokaryotes & eukaryotes under Plants.
Animals to those with red blood & without red Unicellular and multicellular organisms in same
blood. group.
Linnaeus: 2-Kingdom classification (Plantae & No differentiation between fungi and plants.
Animalia). R.H. Whittaker: Five-Kingdom Classification.
Characteristics of the five kingdoms
Characters Monera Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia
Cell type Prokaryotic Eukaryotic Eukaryotic Eukaryotic Eukaryotic
Cell wall Polysaccharide + Present in some Chitin & Cellulose Absent
amino acid. polysaccharides
Nuclear Absent Present Present Present Present
membrane
Body Cellular Cellular Multicellular, loose Tissue/organ Tissue/organ/
organisation tissue organ system
Mode of Autotrophic, Autotrophic, Heterotrophic Autotrophic Heterotrophic
nutrition heterotrophic heterotrophic
1. KINGDOM MONERA (BACTERIA)
Most abundant microorganisms. Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) colonies have
4 types: Coccus (Spherical), Bacillus (Rod- gelatinous sheath. Some fix nitrogen in
shaped), Vibrium (Comma-shaped) & Spirillum heterocysts. E.g. Nostoc & Anabaena.
(Spiral).
I. Archaebacteria
Halophiles: Live in salty areas. b. Chemosynthetic autotrophs:
Thermoacidophiles: In hot springs. Oxidize inorganic substances and release energy.
Methanogens: In marshy areas and guts of c. Heterotrophic bacteria: Most abundant.
ruminant animals. Produce methane (biogas). Decomposers.
Reproduction in Bacteria:
Mainly by fission.
II. Eubacteria ('true bacteria') Spore formation: Under
Rigid cell wall and a flagellum. unfavourable conditions.
a. Photosynthetic autotrophs (E.g. Cyanobacteria): Mycoplasmas are the
Have chlorophyll a. smallest living cells and no cell wall.
2. KINGDOM PROTISTA
Single-celled eukaryotes. I. Chrysophytes
Some have flagella or cilia. Diatoms & golden algae (desmids).
Reproduction: Asexual & sexual (cell fusion → Diatoms have siliceous cell walls. Their cell wall
zygote). deposit is called diatomaceous earth.
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Anmol Sir Capsule Notes: Biological Classification
II. Dinoflagellates Unfavourable conditions plasmodium
Mostly marine and photosynthetic. differentiates → fruiting bodies → bearing spores.
Cell wall: stiff cellulose plates. Most have 2
flagella. V. Protozoans
Red dinoflagellates (E.g. Gonyuulux)- sea appears They are heterotrophs (predators or parasites).
red (red tides). o Amoeboid protozoans: Move & capture prey
by pseudopodia. E.g. Amoeba, Entamoeba
III. Euglenoids (parasite).
Have a protein rich layer (pellicle) & 2 flagella. o Flagellated protozoans: Have flagella.
Photosynthetic in sunlight. Heterotrophs in Parasites cause diseases like sleeping
darkness. sickness. E.g. Trypanosoma.
E.g. Euglena.
o Ciliated protozoans: Move by cilia. E.g.
Paramoecium.
IV. Slime Moulds o Sporozoans: Have infectious spore-like
Saprophytic protists. stage. E.g. Plasmodium (malarial parasite).
Suitable condition → form an aggregation
(plasmodium).
3. KINGDOM FUNGI
Except yeasts, fungi are filamentous. I. Phycomycetes (Lower Fungi)
Saprophytes. Some are parasites. Occur in aquatic habitats and on decaying wood or
Cell wall is made of chitin & polysaccharides. as obligate plant parasites.
Hyphae: Thread-like structures of the body. Mycelium is aseptate and coenocytic.
Mycelium: Network of hyphae. Asexual reproduction: By motile zoospores or by
Hyphae are 2 types: non- motile aplanospores.
o Coenocytic hyphae: Continuous tubes with Sexual reproduction: 2 gametes fuse Zygospores.
multinucleated cytoplasm. Gametes are isogamous or anisogamous or
o Septate hyphae: Have septae or cross walls. oogamous. E.g. Mucor, Rhizopus (bread mould)
and Albugo (parasitic fungi on mustard).
Reproduction:
Vegetative propagation: Fragmentation, fission &
II. Ascomycetes (sac-fungi)
budding.
Unicellular (e.g. yeast, Sacharomyces) or
Asexual: Spores (conidia, sporangiospores &
multicellular (e.g. Penicillium - source of
zoospores).
antibiotics).
Sexual: By oospores, ascospores & basidiospores.
Mycelium is branched and septate.
They are produced in fruiting bodies.
Asexual reproduction: By conidia produced on
Sexual cycle has 3 steps:
conidiophores.
o Plasmogamy: Fusion of protoplasm between
Sexual reproduction: By ascospores produced in
two motile or non-motile gametes.
sac like asci. The asci form fruiting bodies
o Karyogamy: Fusion of two nuclei.
(ascocarps).
o Meiosis in zygote to give haploid spores.
E.g. Aspergillus, Claviceps & Neurospora.
In sexual reproduction, 2 haploid hyphae fuse.
Neurospora is used in biochemical and genetic
In some fungi, 2 haploid cells fuse → diploid cells
work.
(2n).
Morels & truffles are edible.
In ascomycetes & basidiomycetes, a dikaryotic
stage or dikaryophase (2 nuclei) occurs. Such
condition is called a dikaryon. Later, parental III. Basidiomycetes
nuclei fuse diploid. Includes mushrooms, bracket fungi or puffballs.
The mycelium is branched and septate.
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Anmol Sir Capsule Notes: Biological Classification
Vegetative reproduction by fragmentation is IV. Deuteromycetes (Imperfect fungi)
common. Only their asexual or vegetative phases are known.
Plasmogamy by fusion of 2 vegetative or somatic They reproduce only by asexual spores (conidia).
cells → dikaryotic structure → basidium → The mycelium is septate and branched.
Karyogamy & meiosis → 4 basidiospores. Some are saprophytes or parasites. Most are
Basidia are arranged in fruiting bodies decomposers.
(basidiocarps). E.g. Alternaria, Colletotrichum and Trichoderma.
E.g. Agaricus (mushroom), Ustilago (smut) and
Puccinia (rust fungus).
VIRUSES, VIROIDS, PRIONS AND LICHENS
Viruses: Non-cellular obligate parasites. So not Plant viruses: Generally single stranded RNA.
included in five-kingdom classification. Animal viruses: Single or double stranded RNA or
Ivanowsky discovered virus. double stranded DNA.
Louis Pasteur gave the name virus. Bacteriophages: Usually double stranded DNA.
Beijerinek demonstrated that the extract Viroid: An infectious agent with small RNA and no
(Contagium vivum fluidum) of infected tobacco protein coat. Discovered by T.O. Diener. It causes
cause infection in healthy plants. potato spindle tuber disease.
W.M. Stanley showed that viruses could be Prions: Abnormally folded protein. Cause bovine
crystallized. spongiform encoblcephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow
A virus is a nucleoprotein, i.e. it has a protein coat disease in cattle and Cr-Jacob disease (CJD) in
(capsid) & genetic material (RNA or DNA). humans.
Capsid is made of small subunits (capsomeres).
LICHENS
Symbiotic association between algae & fungi.
Algal component: Phycobiont (autotrophic).
Fungal component: Mycobiont (heterotrophic).
Lichens are pollution indicators.
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