The five kingdoms and the three domains

Overview

The defining features of Prokaryotae, Protoctista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia, and why molecular evidence replaced them with Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   State four characteristic features of organisms in Kingdom Prokaryotae.

   Model answer

   No nucleus, no membrane-bound organelles, smaller (70S) ribosomes, circular DNA, and cell walls containing murein.

2. 2

   What type of organisms are found in Kingdom Protoctista and why are they grouped together?

   Model answer

   Eukaryotic organisms that do not fit into other kingdoms, mostly unicellular, including algae and protozoa.

3. 3

   State three distinguishing features of Kingdom Fungi.

   Model answer

   Eukaryotic, cell walls made of chitin, heterotrophic nutrition by saprotrophic or parasitic absorption, and bodies composed of hyphae.

4. 4

   What are the key characteristics of organisms in Kingdom Plantae?

   Model answer

   Multicellular eukaryotes with cellulose cell walls, autotrophic nutrition via photosynthesis, and chloroplasts containing chlorophyll.

5. 5

   State three features that define Kingdom Animalia.

   Model answer

   Multicellular eukaryotes with no cell walls, heterotrophic nutrition, and nervous coordination.

6. 6

   What types of evidence were original classification systems based on?

   Model answer

   Similarities in observable features such as morphology and anatomy.

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