Learning objectives:
- Diagnostic features of the Kingdoms
- describe the socio-economic importance of the five Kingdoms
Kingdom Plantae #
Diagnostic features of the Kingdom Plantae #
- Eukaryotic;
- Multicellular;
- Photosynthetic/autotrophic;
- Have cellulose cell walls;
- Non-motile;
- Have chloroplasts containing chlorophyll a and b;
- store carbohydrate as starch;
- reproduce sexually and asexually;
- Have vascular system or undeveloped vascular tissue;
- mainly terrestrial;
- some have true roots, leaves and roots;
- alteration of generations
Economic importance of kingdom plantae #
- food for most organisms
- can be used for medical use
- manufacturing rubber
- tourism attraction e.g botanical gardens
- for timber
- for experimental use
- plants can be used to make fuel e.g fossil fuels
Kingdom Animaliae #
Diagnostic features of the kingdom Animaliae #
- Eukaryotic;
- Multicellular;
- Non photosynthetic;
- Heterotrophic;
- no cellulose cell walls;
- store carbohydrate as glycogen;
- no chlorophyll;
- motile;
- have nervous system (C.N.S);
- have endocrine system for homeostasis;
- reproduce sexually or asexually;
- body divided into head, abdomen and limbs;
- all have an alimentary canal ;
- bilateral symmetry except cnidarians and echinoderms;
- triploblastic except cnidarians;
- some are segmented e.g annelids and arthropods
Economic importance of kingdom animalia #
- source of food
- animal waste can be used for organic fertilizers
- ivory maybe used for jewellery making
- some animals can used for medical use
- tourism
- for experimental research
- animaal hides(skins) can be used to make shoes from leather
Kingdom Prokaryotae #
Diagnostic features of the kingdom Prokaryotae #
- lack true nucleus;
- circular D.N.A lies free in the cytoplasm;
- unicellular;
- no membrane bound organelles;
- mesosomes for respiration (instead of mitochondria);
- have 70s ribosomes;
- cell walls of murein (peptidoglycan);
- average diameter 0.5-5 micrometres;
- reproduce asexually by binary fission
Economic importance of bacteria-prokaryotae #
- for genetic engineering e.g can be used to form recombinant DNA
- sewage treatment ie digestion of slag
- used to clean oil spoilages esp in sea and oceans
- used for nitrogen fixation
- can be use for decomposition of substances
Kingdom Fungi #
Diagnostic features of the Kingdom Fungi #
- some are unicellular e.g yeast and some are multicellular e.g mushroom;
- non photosynthetic;
- heterotrophic/saprotrophic/parasitic/mutualistic;
- nutrition is absorptive-digestion takes place outside the body and nutrients are absorbed;
- cell walls made of chitin as the main fibrilar material;
- body is a mycelium a network of fine tubular filaments called hyphae growing from horizontal hyphae the stolon;
- end of hyphae bears sporangia which are a reproductive organ for spore formation;
- eukaryotic;
- store carbohydrate as glycogen;
- asexual reproduction by spore formation;
- non-motile
Economic importance of fungi #
- yeast are used in bread production
- used for medical purposes eg as an antibiotic(penicillin)
- decomposition of sewage and organic material in the soil
- production of alcohol for drinking and industry
- experimental use esp for genetic investigations
- food spoilage
Kingdom Protoctista #
- Made up of eukaryotes no longer classified as animals, plants or Fungi e.g algae and protozoa
- filamentous
- no leaf structure
- no roots
- no stems
- contain chlorophyll a and b
- unicellular algae
| Protozoa | Algae |
| Non-photosynthetic | photosynthetic |
| Parasitic and some free living | Free living/non parasitic |
| No cell walls | Have cellulose cell walls |
| Small and temporary food vacuoles | Large permanent vacuoles |
| Unicellular | Multicellular or unicellular |
| Some have differentiated anterior and posterior | No distinct anterior and posterior |
| Some motile and some non -Non motile | motile |
Economic importance of algae #
- for carbon fixation
- responsible for half oxygen released by plants into the atmosphere
- maybe used as direct food source for humans
- can be used as fertilizers on coastal farms
- green aldgae provide oxygen for the aerobic bacteria which break down sewage
