The Six Kingdoms of Life

Life Science - Middle School

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Photos courtesy of NOAA, USFWS, USDA, NIH. Archaebacteria Protists Plants Eubacteria Fungi Animals Classification Plants and animals are classified according to the structures and characteristics of each organism. The characteristics that scientists consider when classifying organisms include the number of cells an organism is made up of, the presence or absence of a cell nucleus, how it obtains food, and how an organism moves. The order of the 6-Kingdom classification system is Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species. The kingdom is the largest group of organisms. A species is the smallest, most specific group of organisms. Archaebacteria are unicellular organisms without a cell nucleus. They can make their own food and live in harsh conditions such as in very salty water or in very hot, acid springs. Most protists are single-celled organisms with a cell nucleus. Protists such as algae live in colonies, make their own food and are food for other animals. Most fungi are multicellular with a cell nucleus. Fungi recycle dead organic matter into useful nutrients which they absorb and use as food. Yeasts, molds and mushrooms are examples of fungi. Some fungi, such as mushrooms, are used directly as food while others are used to make medicines, such as penicillin. There are 4 well known plant phyla which include flowering plants, mosses, ferns and conifers. Flowering plants are vascular and produce seeds and flowers. Vascular plants have tubes that carry water and food throughout the entire plant. Ferns are vascular; they do not flower and use spores to reproduce. Mosses are nonvascular and have no flowers or seeds. Conifers are vascular and have needles instead of leaves. They do not flower and reproduce using cones and seeds. The animal kingdom is divided into two main groups. Animals with backbones are called vertebrates, and animals without a backbone are called invertebrates. Vertebrates are divided into more than 30 phyla. Organisms that have a spinal cord belong to the phylum chordata. Vertebrate animals are a subphylum of this group and are divided into five classes fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Invertebrates are the most abundant organisms on Earth. They are classified into phyla based on their structure and characteristics. Example include mollusks, annelids, cnidarians, arthropods, sponges, and echinoderms. Eubacteria are unicellular organisms without a cell nucleus. They have various shapes which range from spheres to rods and spirals. While some eubacteria cause disease, there are many types that are beneficial to humans. Eubacteria are all around us, including inside our bodies. They help us with digestion and the production of certain vitamins. The Six Kingdoms of Life © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-4501 www.newpathlearning.com
\|xiBAHBDy01723tz] Photos courtesy of NOAA, USFWS, USDA, NIH. Archaebacteria Protists Plants Eubacteria Fungi Animals Classification Archaebacteria are ______________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________. Fungi are _____________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________. The animal kingdom is divided into ____________________________________. Vertebrates are ______________________ ____________________________________. Invertebrates are _____________________________. Vertebrate animals are divided into five classes: _____________________________________________ Examples of invertebrate animals include: __________________________________ _______________________________ ____________________________. Eubacteria are _________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ . chordata class classification colonies family genus invertebrate kingdom multicellular order phylum species unicellular vertebrate How are plants and animals classified? ________________________________________________________ What are the characteristics scientists consider when classifying organisms? _________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ What is the order of the 6-Kingdom classification system? _________________________________________ Describe the following: Flowering plants ___________________ __________________________________ Vascular __________________________ __________________________________ Ferns ____________________________ __________________________________ Mosses ___________________________ __________________________________ Conifers __________________________ __________________________________ The Six Kingdoms of Life © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-4501 www.newpathlearning.com Key Vocabulary Terms