NaturalScienceYear6–Unit6Fungiandotherkingdoms

Fungiandotherkingdoms

LivingthingsclassificationLivingthingsareclassifiedintofivekingdoms:Monera,Protist,Fungus,PlantandAnimal.Eachgroupsharesspecificcharacteristicswhichdifferentiatethemfromothergroups.MoneraKingdom.Organismsinthiskingdomarealwaysunicellular:theyhavenonucleusororganellesintheircell’scytoplasm.Bacteriabelongtothisgroup.ProtistKingdom.Organismsinthiskingdomaremorecomplex:theyhaveanucleusandorganellesintheircytoplasmandoftenhavemovingpartssotheycanpropelthemselves.FungusKingdom.Organismsinthiskingdomaremoresophisticated.Fungiareoften(butnotalways)multicellularandtheyabsorbnutrientsfromtheirhost.PlantKingdom.Organismsinthiskingdomareallmulticellular.Plantsmaketheirownfoodthroughphotosynthesis.Theycanbedividedintofloweringandnon-floweringplants,dependingonhowtheyreproduce.AnimalKingdom.Organismsinthiskingdomareallmulticellular.Animalsgetenergybyconsumingotherorganisms.Theyaredividedintovertebrateandinvertebrateanimals,dependingontheirbodystructure.

TheMonera,ProtistandFungusKingdomTheMonera,ProtistandFungusKingdomincludemillionsofmicroorganismswhichcanbefoundeverywhereontheplanet,fromthebottomofthedeepestoceantothehighpartsoftheatmosphere.Someareverysimpleorganisms;otherarehighlycomplex.

TheMoneraKingdom• Organismsinthiskingdomareallunicellular.• Theyareprokaryotic,whichmeanstheyhavenoseparatenucleus.• Thereproduceasexually.• Theyarefoundinallenvironments,includinginsideourbodies.• BacteriaarethelargestgroupintheMoneraKingdom.• Bacteriacancauseillnessesbutarealsousedintheprocessof

fermentationanddecomposition.VirusesVirusesaremuchsmallerthancells,theydonotbelonginanyofthefivekingdomsbecausetheydonothavethecharacteristicsalllivingthingsshare.However,theydoreproduceandtodothistheyneedtoinvadecells.Whenavirusinvadesacell,itusesthecelltomakecopiesofitself.Eventuallythecellburstsandthecopiesofthevirusspreadtoothercells.

TheProtistKingdom• Organismsinthiskingdomcanbeunicellularor

multicellular.• Theyareeukaryoticwhichmeanstheyhaveanucleuswhich

containsgeneticmaterial.• Protistsareusuallyfoundinwaterordampenvironments.• Someprotistshavechlorophyllandcanproducetheirown

foodthroughphotosynthesis:othersabsorbfoodfromtheirenvironment.

• Someprotistshavefeelersortailswhichtheyusetomoveabout.

• AlgaeandamoebaebelongtotheProtistKingdom.

NaturalScienceYear6–Unit6Fungiandotherkingdoms

TheFungusKingdomFungiarefoundallovertheworldincludingonandinplantsandanimals.SomearemicroscopicallysmallbutothersformthelargestlivingstructuresonEarthandcanoccupyseveralsquarekilometres.Scientistsestimatethatthereareabout1.5millionspeciesoffungi.

• Fungiareeukaryotic.• Fungisuchasyeastsareunicellular,whileotherssuch

asmushroomsaremulticellular.• Fungiabsorbfoodfromtheirenvironment.Manyfungi

areparasitic,livingofftheirhosts.• Theyreproduceusingmicroscopicspores.• Somefungisuchasmushroomscanbeeaten:others

suchasyeastareusedtomakebread.• Fungihelpwithdecomposition,whichisvitalforthe

environment.Kingdom #ofcells HowitgetsfoodMonera 1 Somemakeownfood,somemust

getfoodProtist 1ormany Somemakeownfood,somemust

getfoodFungus 1ormany Absorbsfood