Kingdom Monera, Protista And Fungi: Classification: Kingdoms, Features, Examples

What Are Kingdoms?

In this article the three kingdoms namely Kingdom Monera, Protista and Fungi are discussed under the following subtopics; characteristics, classifications and ecological importance of the three kingdoms. Knowledge of these kingdoms is paramount since they are the most basic and diverse classifications of life in the world. Kingdom Monera also known as the Bacteria Kingdom comprises the simplest organisms which are the prokaryotes and hence play an important role in the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems.

Latest: NEET 2024 Paper Analysis and Answer Key 

Don't Miss: Most scoring concepts for NEET | NEET papers with solutions

New: NEET Syllabus 2025 for Physics, Chemistry, Biology

NEET Important PYQ & Solutions: Physics | Chemistry | Biology | NEET PYQ's (2015-24)

Protista a group of monocellular eukaryotic organisms, is a richness and versatility of monads in question. They play very important roles in breaking down materials and recycling nutrients, especially in the ecosystem and they have huge applications in the medical and industrial fields. Understandably, my knowledge of these kingdoms improves my biology, but more than that, it shows how everything in the universe is related and how microorganisms are important in creating balance in the world.

Kingdom Monera

The characteristics of kingdom monera are listed below

Characteristics Of Monera

The Characteristics of Monera include:

Prokaryotic cells

Kingdom Monera contains organisms that have prokaryotic cells that are more basic and often smaller than the eukaryotic cells. They do not possess membrane-bound organelles like the nucleus, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum to list but a few.

Unicellular Organisms

Most of these organisms are procaryotic, and this means that the total organism is just one cell where all the necessary activities of living organisms occur. These include; bacteria and cyanobacteria (bluegreen algae).

Absence Of A True Nucleus

But unlike other true cells, Monerans do not have a well-defined nuclear region rather they contain genetic material in a nucleoid region an ill-defined irregular mass in the cell. This genetic material is often one of a pair of circular DNA molecules called a plasmid in the case of bacteria.

Reproduction Mainly By Binary Fission

Monerans chiefly double by binary fission which is a type of asexual reproduction in which a body divides into two similar bodies. It enables the rapid growth of the human population in conditions where the environment is favourable to its existence

Classification Of Monera

Monera is classified into

Archaebacteria

Extremophiles

Archaebacteria are famous for the fact that they can live and often enjoy existence inequalities elsewhere all the other organisms cannot. This ranges from water with very high salinity such as those in oceans, water that is very hot as that in hydrothermal vents, and water having very low or very high pH.

Unique cell membrane lipids

Archaebacteria can be known from other categories of living organisms in that, for example, their cell membranes are built up of different types of lipids. Like other characteristics, they retain ether linkages in their phospholipids, which gives them the advantage of being able to tolerate unfavourable conditions without damage to their cell.

Eubacteria

Eubacteria or true bacteria are mostly diverse and distributed all across the world and can reside in almost any environment. They dwell in the soils, water and also on and in plants and animals including humans where they are involved in the key processes of different ecosystems.

Typical Bacterial Forms

Different groups of Eubacteria have distinct shapes which are significant in identification and performance. Bacilli are pulled in environments where the bacteria require a large surface area for the absorption of nutrients. Clumping and chaining of spherical bacteria (cocci) serve as an advantage in the process of hiding from the immune system. Spiralshaped bacteria (spirilla) are specialised for movement through extremely viscous environments which increases their efficiency in all types of environments through which they move.

Recommended video for Kingdom Monera

Kingdom Protista

The characteristics of the kingdom Protista are listed below

Characteristics Of Protista

Eukaryotic cells

Protists are composed of eukaryotic cells which means they have true nuclei protected by a nuclear membrane and components such as mitochondria and chloroplasts with definite functions. This high cellular organization enables protists to perform more complex functions relative to the prokaryotic organisms.

Mostly Unicellular, Some Multicellular Forms

Most of the protists are unicellular so their body plan is relatively simple yet they are quite versatile. Nonetheless, some of the protists, especially the algae, can form a colony or simple structures that are necessarily multimerous; this makes them more structured and functional for all intents and purposes but they are still protists compared to the more complex eukaryotes.

Diverse Modes Of Nutrition

Thus, protists are characterized by a high variety of nutritional modes and types of nutrition. Some of the protists are autotrophs that is they can prepare food on their own, such as algae. Some protists are heterotrophic and obtain nutrients by ingesting bits of food particles that are available in the surrounding environment. In mixed trophic protists, both methods are used, but depending on the environment the protists can change between autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition. This ability is precisely important for their existence in different kinds of environments.

Classification Of Protista

Protozoa

These include protozoans which are single-celled eukaryotes that move and feed on organisms like bacteria. Many of them inhabit the water and examples of such organisms are amoebas and paramecia. Some protozoa have cilia or flagella used in by movement, and the nutrition of protozoa involves consuming bacteria, algae or another protozoan.

Algae

Algae are a special category of the group of the protist phylum that can synthesize their food through the process of photosynthesis like that of plants. They can be seen nearly in any body of water, from freshwater to salt water, and seawater. Algae can be unicellular and multicellular in appearance ranging from Chlamydomonas to Kelps.

Slime Molds and Water Molds

These two moulds, namely, slime moulds, and water moulds, look and live more like fungi but they are part of the protozoa. Slime moulds are typically saprophytic and are found in decomposing plant material; Some of them are called plasmodial slime moulds and produce multicellular structures in some stage of their development. They are aquatic and exist in areas with high humidity; they are parasitic and cause diseases in plants and fish. Both groups are involved in the decomposition and the recycling of nutrients in the ecosystem.

Recommended video for Kingdom Protista

Kingdom Fungi

The following describes the characteristics of Fungi:

Characteristics Of Fungi

Eukaryotic cells

Fungi are described to be eukaryotes that have their cells covered by a cell membrane and can have membrane-bound organelles with DNA in the nucleus.

Mostly multicellular

A few of the fungi are unicellular, however, most of them are plural cellular, and the most famous of the unicellular fungi are yeasts which have both the features of asexual and sexual reproductions.

Cell wall

The cell walls of fungi contain mostly chitin, a compound that is common in others such as more supportive and protective characteristics.

Heterotrophic

Fungi are heterotrophic in their mode of nutrition, and within a shorter period release enzymes to digest the substances outside their body. They release enzymes on the organic material and decompose the material breaking it into soluble molecules which can be absorbed through the walls of the cells. It allows fungi to live in numerous environments as decomposers or as parasites or mutualists of other organisms.

Classification Of Fungi

Zygomycetes

The phylum Zygomycota are called bread mounds and owe their name to their structures called zygospores involved in sexual reproduction. They dwell usually on plant matter and are of economic significance both as saprophytes and parasites of plants.

Ascomycetes

Ascomycetes are a large phyla of fungi that discharge their spores in sacs known as asci. This group includes yeasts, single-celled fungi that are used to make bread and beer, and morels and truffles, types of edible mushrooms.

Basidiomycetes

Basidiomycetes, also called club fungi are characterized by involving basidia, that is club-shaped structures for reproduction. This group involves common button mushrooms fly agaric bracket fungi and puff balls.

Deuteromycetes

Conidiaproducing fungi or Deuteromycetes, are a large group of fungi for which no perfect stage has been demonstrated. Some of them are Penicillium species that are useful in synthesising antibiotics such as penicillin, and those fungi that cause diseases in humans such as athlete’s foot.

Recommended video for Kingdom Fungi

Comparison Table Of Monera, Protista, And Fungi