Classifying Organisms The 5 Kingdoms of Life Classifying Organisms

There are 5 Kingdoms of Life These kingdoms are based on how living things are the same, and how they are different. It is important that you understand, that biologist are still learning about our world, and are making new discoveries every single day.

The First Classification System The first classification system developed 2,500 years ago by a Greek philosopher named Aristotle included only two groups, Plants and Animals.

5 Kingdoms The five kingdoms currently accepted by most (but not all) scientists are The Moneran Kingdom, The Protist Kingdom, The Fungi Kingdom, The Plant Kingdom, and The Animal Kingdom.

Moneran Kingdom These cells are unicellular. They have one cell. Moneran cells are far simpler and more basic than the cells of other life forms. These cells have no nucleus, and are also missing many of the organelles, or parts, commonly found in other cells.

BACTERIA are Monerans Bacteria are commonly placed in The Moneran Kingdom. Monerans are considered by many scientists to be the oldest life forms on Earth, and the ancestors of all the other types of life that have since evolved.

Protista Kingdom The Protista Kingdom consists of unicellular life forms (life forms with only one cell) who have a nucleus.

Interesting Fact Many protists appear to be both plant and animal. Like plants, they are green, and can create their own food. However, like animals, they have moving body parts, and are able to move around their environments.

Fungi Kingdom The Fungi Kingdom is made up of a variety of different funguses. For many years, it was believed that fungi were plants. Today we know that fungi are different from plants in some very important ways. #1 Fact Fungi cannot make their own food like plants! They must rely on food sources!

One common type of fungi are the mushrooms you find on your pizza. You Eat Fungi! One common type of fungi are the mushrooms you find on your pizza.

Plantae Kingdom The Plantae Kingdom is made up of all the plants that you see each day. Most plants are multi-cellular, meaning that they consist of many cells

Animal Kingdom Like many other life forms, animals are multi-cellular. These cells come together, forming tissues, organs, and organ systems, that help sustain the life of the animal.

Important Facts Animals cannot make their own food. They must rely on other living things, such as plants, fungi, and other animals to sustain them. Without other food sources, animals could not survive. There are more species of animals, then in all the other kingdoms combined.