Classifying Living Things: The How and Why of the Five Kingdom Classification

Suggested Activities While Viewing the Program

1. During the 19th century, the two kingdom system was defined more scientifically. What major scientific
breakthrough prompted this?
Darwins new theory of evolution, Carl von Linne pioneered early biological classification
2.

What change did optical microscopes bring to the scientific understanding of living organisms?
Biologists discovered a wide variety of single-celled organisms

3.

Why did euglena present problems with classification when it was first known about?
Euglena usually manufactures its own food by photosynthesis. But when its deprived of light, it takes in food such as
animals. It presented problems because it was a single celled organism that had characteristics of both plants and
animals

4.

How did scientists change the classification system after the discovery of single-celled organisms, and bacteria?
To resolve difficulties in classification, biologists placed all the single celled organisms in a new 3 rd kingdom called
protoctista, monera and archaea

5.

For what reasons did it become apparent that fungi could not be placed in the plant kingdom?
All types of fungi had common characteristics, making them quite different from plants. A very basic difference was
that none of the fungi could photosynthesise. This is why they were taken out of the plant kingdom and placed in a
kingdom of their own

6.

Animals are heterotrophic. What does this mean?

Organisms that cannot manufacture their own food and obtain their food and energy by taking in organic substances,
usually plant or animal matter

7.

8.

How do most animals reproduce?

Sexually, ensuring the development of young, that combine the genetic characteristics of the two different parents.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
This creates genetic variation the basis of evolution and adaptation
Name one exception to this.
A few animals, like aphids, also reproduce asexually, which provides a short term advantage of quickly creating large
numbers of offspring, all identical however, to their parents

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9.

What is one advantage and one disadvantage of the way that your answer to number 8 reproduces?
Short term advantage of quickly creating large numbers of offspring
Disadvantage is that the offspring is identical to the parents

10. Plants are autotrophic. What does this mean?

This means they create their own food

11. Briefly summarise how fungi feed.

They are unable to photosynthesise. Fungi are heterotrophic, like animals. The main body of a fungus actually lives in
the organic matter on which it feeds. Fungal enzymes break down or digest complex molecules outside the body. Only
then, they are absorbed into the fungus
12. Why is there some disagreement on how seaweed should be classified?

13. What is common to the cells of every plant, animal, protoctistan and fungi?

14. What is the name given to this type of cell?

15. What are organelles?

16. How are cells of organisms placed in Kingdom Monera different?

17. What is the name given to this type of cell?

18. Scientists now believe that organisms placed in Kingdom Monera should be classified into two new Kingdoms?
What are they?

19. How are archaebacteria different from eubacteria?

20. What characterises the following types of archaebacteria:

a)

methanobacteria

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b) halobacteria

c)

thermoacidophiles

21. What is meant by the expression the hierarchical nature of the classification of living things?

22. Kingdom is the broadest category of living organisms. In order from broader to more specific, what are the other
categories used?

23. What is binomial classification?

24. Why is it difficult to classify viruses?

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You may download and print one copy of these support notes from ClickView for your reference.
Further copying or printing must be reported to CAL as per the Copyright Act 1968.