Six Kingdoms of Life

Kingdoms of Life

K = Kingdom

There are 6 Kingdoms of Life 

There used to be 5 Kingdoms.

K. Monera was divided into 2 kingdoms:

     K. Archaebacteria is single cell organisms     that live in extreme environments.  They have 
    no nuclei.  They live in extreme temperatures like in hot springs, geysers, and even glaciers.

    K. Eubacteria is single cell organisms that live in more normal environments... like on your 
    skin, in yogurt, even in your gut.  Only 1/2 of 1% of Eubacteria are the kind of bacteria that can make you sick.  Antibiotics kill bacteria. 

     Both forms of bacteria reproduce by binary fission...they split or divide in half. 

K. Protista has single cell organisms and multicellular organisms.  Single cell Protists are like 
paramecium and amoeba...both are found in pond water and some are plankton.  Protista has cells with a nucleus in each cell. 

Multicellular protists are plant-like things like kelp (seaweed).  K. Protista reproduces by mitosis.
  Mitosis is how cells with a nucleus divide to reproduce.  

K. Fungi is multicellular organisms that often  live on dead and decaying matter.  They often have 
many nuclei in each cell.  They include:  mushrooms, toadstools, mildew, and some can be infections 
like athlete's foot.  Fungi have long thin hypha.  Think "refrigerator surprise." Fungi reproduce by
 spores.  

K. Plantae is plants.  Plants make their own food by photosynthesis using chlorophyll, sunlight, water,
 & carbon dioxide.  In photosynthesis the plant cells take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen.  Little
 green organelles called chloroplasts, inside plant cells, are where photosynthesis takes place.  So
 plants don't need to eat.  Plant cells have one nucleus in each cell.  Plants do not have a brain and 
nervous system nor a muscular system so plants can't move about independently.  Most plants 
reproduce by sexual reproduction (pollen cells fertilize the eggs found in the flowers).  
Examples of plants are trees, grass, bushes, herbs or weeds, and flowers.  

K. Animalia is the animals.  Animals need to eat.  They also need to drink water.  Animals DO have
 a brain, nervous system & a muscular system so most animals CAN move about independently. 
 Animals take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.  Most animals reproduce by sexual reproduction,
 so it takes both a male and female to create offspring.  Animal cells have one nucleus in each cell. 
 Examples of members of K. Animalia are fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, etc.  Humans are
 members of  K. Animalia. 

Here is an easy way to look at this information:  

The above "6 Kingdoms Study Guide" vsiual aide is available to print on Free Printable Downloads . . .

 the top button on this blog.