What is Biological classification

Identification of difference among organisms and placing them into group

that reflects their most significant features and relationship is called
biological classification (first given by Aristotle)

Two Kingdom classification system

Given by Linnaeus

Animalia Plantae
Demerits
This type of classification fails to distinguish between eukaryotes and
prokaryotes,unicellular and multicellular organisms, photosynthetic and non-
photosynthetic organisms.

3 Domain system

Given by Carl Woese

Bacteria Archaea Eukarya

Eubacteria Archaebacteria
Protista Fungi Plantae Animals
 Five kingdom Classification

Given by R.H. Whittaker

Monera Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia

Characteristics of the Five Kingdom

Monera
Bacteria are the sole member of Kingdom Monera and most abundant
micro-organisms
Bacterial structure is very simple, yet their behaviour are very complex, also
shows the most extensive metabolic diversity
Monera

Based on their shape

Coccus Coccus Spirillum Vibrium

(Spherical- (Spherical- (Spiral- (Comma-
shaped) shaped) shaped) shaped)
 Monera

Archaebacteria Eubacteria
(True Bacteria)

Archaebacteria
They are found in the most harsh conditions on the planet,like extreme
salty areas (halophiles),hot springs (thermoacidophiles)and marshy
area(methanogen).
Methanogen are also found in the guts of ruminant animal such as cow
and buffalo.
Methanogens are also responsible for biogas (methane).
Archaebacteria has different cell wall structure and other unique features
that help them to live in these harsh conditions.

Eubacteria
They have rigid cell wall and if motile,a flagellum also.
Photosynthetic bacteria -

Cyanobacteria (blue -green algae ) have chlorophyll a that help them in

photosynthesis
Cyanobacteria are unicellular ,colonial or filamentous, freshwater/marine,
there colonies are generally surrounded by gelatinous sheath.
Some Cyanobacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen in there specialised cells
called heterocysts.
Example -Nostoc and Anabaena

Chemosynthetic Bacteria -

These bacteria oxidise various inorganic substances such as nitrates,nitites

and ammonium and use released energy for their ATP production
They play a important roles in recycling nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus,
iron and sulphur etc.
Heterotrophic bacteria -

Most abundant in nature and majority of decomposers.

They have a significant role in your life like making curd from milk to
production of antibiotics.
 But there are some pathogens causing damage to animals ,crops and
plants,like cholera, typhoid and tetanus are very known disease caused by
bacteria.
Mycoplasma(Joker of Kingdom Monera)

They completely lack a cell wall and they are smallest living cells know.
They live in anaerobic conditions.
Many of the mycoplasma are pathogenic in animals and plants.
Reproduction -
They reproduce mainly by fission but in unfavorable condition they can
produce spores.
They can also reproduce by a sort of sexual reproduction by adopting a
primitive type of DNA transfer from one bacterium to other.

Protista
All single -celled eukaryotes are placed under Protista,but the boundaries
of this kingdom are not will defined, members of Protista are primarily
aquatic
The protista cell body contains a well defined nucleus and other membrane
-bound organelles.
They reproduce by both ways asexual (cell fission) and sexual (zygote
formation).
Chrysophytes

This group includes diatoms and golden algae, most of them are
photosynthetic and mostly found in fresh water and marine as well, diatoms
are 'cheif produces' in the ocean.
•The cell wall of diatoms form two thin overlapping shells which fit together
as in a soap box.The wall of are embedded with silica and thus the wall are
indestructible.
Soap box structure

When diatoms have left behind large amount of cell wall deposit in their
habitat ,the accumulation over billions of years give birth to Diatomaceous
earth.
Economic importance -
The soil of diatomaceous earth is used in polishing, filtration of oils and
syrups
 Dinoflagellates

They are mostly marine photosynthetic and came in variety of colours

yellow,brown,green,blue or red depends on the pigment present in
their cells
Cell wall has stiff cellulosic plates on the outer surface, also they are
biflagellated (Longitudinal and transverse)
Red tides - Red dinoflagellates under goes such rapid multiplication
that they make sea appear red,but many harmful toxins are released
by such number can kill other marine animals
Example- Gonyaulax

Euglenoids

Majority of them are freshwater organisms found in stagnant water.

Instead of a cell wall , they have protein rich layer called pellicle which
make their body flexible
Biflagellated,a short and a long.
They have 2 mode of nutrition-
(i) In presence of sunlight they behave like autotrophs
(ii) when deprived of sunlight they behave like heterotrophs

Slime moulds

Saprophytic protists,body moves along decaying twigs and leaves engulfing

organic matter.

Under favourable conditions they form an aggregation called which can

spread several feet , but in unfavorable condition the plasmodium forms
fruiting bodies bearing spores at their tips.
The spores posses true walls , extremely resistant and survive for many
years even under adverse conditions ( dispersion through air).
Protozoans
All protozoans are heterotrophs and live as predator or parasite.
They are believed to be primitive relatives of animals

Protozoans

Amoeboid Flagellated Cillated Sporozoans

protozoans protozoans protozoans

Amoeboid protozoans: Live in fresh water, sea water, or moist soil. Move
using pseudopodia. Marine forms have silica shells. Some, like Entamoeba,
are parasites.

Flagellated protozoans: Free-living or parasitic. Move with flagella.

Parasitic forms cause diseases like sleeping sickness (e.g., Trypanosoma).

Ciliated protozoans: Aquatic and active due to cilia. Have a gullet for
feeding. Example: Paramecium.

Sporozoans: Diverse organisms with infectious spore-like stages. Notable

example: Plasmodium, which causes malaria

Fungi

Show great diversity in morphology and habitat.

All members of this kingdom are heterotrophic organisms.
All fungi are filamentous, except Yeast which is unicellular.
There body consist of long,slender thread-like structure called as hyphae, the
network of hyphae is called mycelium.
Coenocytic hyphae- Hyphae that has continuous tubes filled with
multinucleated cytoplasm.
Some hyphae has septa or cross walls.
Some are saprophytes ,but some are dependent on living plants and animals
(parasite) and some members are also found in symbiotic relationship for
example lichen (Algae+Fungi) and mycorrhiza (Roots of higher plants like
cycas+Fungi).
 Reproduction -

Fungi has 3 means to reproduce

(i) Vegetation
(ii) Sexual
(iii) Asexual

Vegetative reproduction takes places by fragmentation,fission and budding.

Asexual reproduction is by spores called
conidia/sporangiospores/zoospores.
Sexual reproduction takes by mating of two compatible hyphae. And after
fusion it immediately results in diploid cells(2n). However in some fungi like
ascomycetes and basidiomycetes ,an intervening dikaryotic stage(n+n …i.e. 2
nuclei per cell) such condition is called dikaryon and the phase is called
dikaryophase.
Later, these dikaryotic cell,the parental nuclei fuse and become diploid, which
in turn formation of fruiting bodies in which reduction division (meiosis)
occurs, leading to formation of haploid spores.
The sexual cycle involves the following three steps-
(i) Plasmogany- Fusion of protoplasm between two motile or non-motile gametes.
(ii) Karogamy- Fusion of two nuclei
(iii) Meiosis- In zygote resulting in haploid spores.

Fungi

Phycomycetes Ascomycetes Basidiomycetes Deuteromycetes

Phycomycetes
Mucor
Habitat- Aquatic habitat and decaying wood or as
obligate parasites on plant.
Mycelium- Aseptate and coenocytic.
Reproduction-
(i) Asexually- By endogenously produced zoospores
(motile) or alpanospores.
(ii) Sexually- Zygospore is formed by fusion of two gametes.
Example- Mucor and Albugo(parasitic fungi on mustard).
 Ascomycetes (sac fungi)

Habitat- Coprophilous(growing on dung) , saprophytes Aspergillus

decomposers or parasitic.
Mycelium- Multicellular ,rarely unicellular, branched and
septate.
Reproduction-
(i) Asexually- Conidia,produced exogenously Aspergillus.
(ii) Sexually- Ascospores produces in asci,these asci are
arranged in different types of fruiting bodies called ascocarp.
Example - Neurospora (extensively used in biochemistry and
genetics), truffles(edible) and Penicillium

Basidiomycetes (club fungi)

Habitat- Grow in soil,on log and tress stumps or as parasites Agaricus

(rust and smuts).
Mycelium-Branched and septate
Reproduction-
(i) Vegetatively- Fragmentation
(ii) Asexually -Generally not found
(iii) Sexually - Sexual spores are basidiospores formed on
basidium inside basidiocarps. Sex organ absent
Example- Ustilago, Puffballs and Puccinia

Deuteromycetes (imperfect fungi)

Habitat- Saprophytes, parasite and some are decomposers Alternaria

Mycelium- Branched and septate
Reproduction-
(i) Asexually- Conidia
(ii) Sexually- Absent
Example- Alternaria, Colletotrichum, Trichoderma
 In five kingdom Classification of Whittaker there is no mention of lichens,
virus, viroids and prions

Characteristics of a Virus
Inert outside host
Not truly livinng
Non cellular
Helical & polyhedral symmetry
Obligate parasite
Nucleoprotein structure {Nucleic acid + protein(capsid)}

M.W. Beijerinek - Contogium vivium fludium.

W.M. Stanley - Crystallization of virus.
Viruses have one molecule of either DNA or RNA.
Usually animal virus have ds DNA and plant virus ss RNA.

T.O. Diener Tobacco Mosaic

Free low molecular weight SS RNA
Virus
Viroids
No protein

Disease in plant- Potato spindle tuber disease

Abnormally folded protein

Prions No nucleic acid

BCr- Jacob disease
Cause neurological disease

Mad cow disease

Bacteriophage
Lichen- Algae & Fungi symbiosis
Algae- Phycobiont (synthesis of food)
Fungi- Mycobiont (Provide shelter and absorption of water and minerals)
Lichen- are used as pollution indicator. They do not grow in polluted
environment.