An Overview of 5 Kingdoms Classification: Classification of Kingdoms, Features, and Examples:
Millions of living species are present on this planet. But have you ever thought about why they are divided into five kingdoms? The scientific community extensively discusses when, how, and why life begins on mother earth.
But initially, Aristotle, a great greek philosopher, 2400 years ago stated that all the Biodiversity presented on the planet comes from animals or plants. This observation was expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries. And today, 8.7 million species are divided into five kingdoms.
ICSE Class 9 Biology solutions Chapter 8: 5 Kingdom Classification related to Unit IV: Diversity in Living Organisms. As the name describes, the whole unit is concerned about the diversity of the living organisms in a particular region of the earth. Let’s go through the world of nature’s five kingdoms and learn a bit more about them.
What is a Kingdom in Biology?
In simple words, a kingdom is defined as a piece of land ruled by a group of people. In Biology, a kingdom is defined as The system of biological kingdoms is how science categorizes living organisms according to their genealogy throughout evolution. Further in the kingdom, there is a taxonomy of Classification within the same. These are as follows:
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
Classification of Kingdoms:
Robert Whittaker, a North American Scientist, divided all the species into five kingdoms. This theory is widely accepted. In ICSE Class 9 Biology, this chapter gives a brief overview of the five kingdoms and sums up the characteristics of each kingdom with appropriate examples. Also, check Biology MCQ for NEET.
The Classification of kingdoms is done into the following kingdoms:
- Kingdom Monera
- Kingdom Protista
- Kingdom Fungi
- Kingdom Plantae
- Kingdom Animalia
Let’s have a brief discussion about the Classification of Kingdoms in detail with suitable examples:
1. Kingdom Monera:
Kingdom Monera is a one-celled organized nucleus. Some organisms related to this group have cell walls. The organisms in this group produce their food (called autotrophs) or consume the food from their surroundings( called heterotrophs).
Example: Blue-Green Algae and Bacteria
2. Kingdom Protista:
Kingdom Protists is very diverse from all the other kingdoms. Protists include all eukaryotes that are neither animals nor plants, not fungi. Protists consist of single-celled multicellular organisms; It lives in aquatic conditions like fresh water, damp soil, marine water, or snow.
Example: Algae, Amoebas, and Euglena
3. Kingdom Fungi:
Fungi are eukaryotic creatures with a true nucleus enclosed in membranes. They are non-vascular organisms. They do not have a vascular system, such as mushrooms, yeast, or rusts.
4. Kingdom Plantae
Kingdom Plantae is called the kingdom of plants because it includes all the plants. They are eukaryotic, multicellular, and autotrophic organisms; these plant cells carry a firm cell wall. Plants have a chlorophyll and chloroplast stain, which is necessary for photosynthesis. Members of the kingdom Plantae are unique because they can manufacture their food; thus, they are autotrophs.
Example: Mosses, Trees, Liverworts, Ferns, Herbs, and Shrubs.
5. Kingdom Animalia:
Kingdom Animalia is the most prominent kingdom among the five kingdoms. All the animals belong to this kingdom. From human beings to bees, from dogs and cats to butterflies and birds, all belong to this kingdom. These are multicellular eukaryotes. As we know, the survival of each living thing depends on the other. If we see overall, the importance of this kingdom is overwhelming.
Example: Human Beings, Cow, Fish
We have given a brief introduction to five classifications of classifications. To read the chapter in detail, refer to ICSE Class 9 Biology Solutions.
FAQ:
Ques 1. How to get good marks in ICSE Board Class 9 Biology?
Ans. Class 9 is an ideal time for students to build a solid foundation in each core subject. ICSE Class 9 Biology provides a solid foundation for students in Class 10 notes and up. As a result, students should read the syllabus carefully and focus on all the essential concepts presented by the subject teachers in the class.
Getting good marks in Class 9 Biology is not a cakewalk. Students must carefully choose everything related to their studies, from subject teachers to ICSE Class 9 Biology solutions.
Ques 2. Who gave the five-kingdom Classification?
Ans. Robert Whittaker gave the five-kingdom Classification in 1969. The Classification was based on the cell structure, phylogenetic relationships, thallus organization, and reproduction.
Ques 3. Which is the largest of the five kingdoms?
Ans. Among the five kingdoms, the animal kingdom is the largest. Animals are multicellular eukaryotes, But they do not have chlorophyll or cell walls like plants. Hence the species of the animal kingdom have a heterotrophic mode of nutrition. All the animals, including humans, belong to this kingdom.
Ques 4. Why do we divide living things into kingdoms?
Ans. Dividing living organisms into small groups helps scientists to study a certain group of organisms. The process of dividing the species started long before. And finally, the five kingdoms theory came in 1969. Characteristics like reproduction, nutrition, body structure, etc., are some of the criteria by which organisms are classified.
