Kingdoms of Life

• What are the five kingdoms of life excluding viruses?


  Animals, plants, fungi, protists, and bacteria
• Why are viruses considered the odd one out among living organisms?


  Because they are not classified as living organisms
• What type of cells are animals, plants, fungi, and protists made up of?

  Eukaryotic cells
• What is a key characteristic of eukaryotic cells?


  They have DNA in the form of chromosomes located in a nucleus
• How do bacteria differ from eukaryotic organisms in terms of cell structure?


  Bacteria are prokaryotes and do not have a nucleus
• How much smaller are bacteria compared to eukaryotic cells?


  Bacteria are between 10 and 100 times smaller than eukaryotic cells
• What is the size comparison of viruses to prokaryotic cells?


  Viruses are another 10 to 100 times smaller than prokaryotic cells
• What are the common characteristics of animals?

  Animals are multicellular, heterotrophs, and most reproduce sexually
• How many species of animals are estimated to exist on Earth?

  Between 5 and 10 million species
• What does it mean for an organism to be multicellular?


  It means that the organism is made up of many cells
• What does the term heterotroph mean?


  It refers to organisms that obtain energy from consuming other organisms
• How do plants obtain their energy?

  Plants are autotrophs and obtain energy from the sun through photosynthesis
• How many species of plants are estimated to exist?

  Around 300,000 species
• What is a key difference between fungi and plants?

  Fungi cannot photosynthesize and are heterotrophs
• What is saprotrophic nutrition in fungi?


  It is when fungi secrete enzymes to digest food outside their body
• What is mycelium in fungi?


  Mycelium is a body made up of thread-like structures called hyphae
• What are pathogens in the context of fungi?


  Pathogens are fungi that can cause disease in humans
• What do the terms protists, protista, and protester refer to?


  They all refer to the same kingdom of organisms
• What is the common characteristic of most protists?


  Most protists are unicellular organisms
• How do some protists obtain energy?


  Some protists have chloroplasts and can photosynthesize, while others consume other organisms
• What is an example of a protist that causes disease?


  Plasmodium, which causes malaria
• What are the basic characteristics of bacteria?


  Bacteria are single-celled organisms that live almost everywhere
• What is the role of bacteria in the human body?


  Some bacteria help us digest food
• How do viruses reproduce?


  Viruses can only reproduce inside living cells by infecting other organisms
• What is the structure of a virus?


  A virus has a protein coat surrounding genetic material (DNA or RNA)
• Why are viruses considered parasites?


  Because they depend on other organisms to grow and reproduce
• What is a common characteristic of all viruses?


  All viruses can be considered pathogens
• Can you name a few examples of viruses?


  Influenza virus, tobacco mosaic virus, HIV, and COVID-19
• What are the key features of the five kingdoms of life?

  • Animals: multicellular, heterotrophs, reproduce sexually
  • Plants: multicellular, autotrophs, photosynthesize
  • Fungi: multicellular or unicellular, heterotrophs, saprotrophic nutrition
  • Protists: mostly unicellular, diverse energy sources (some autotrophic, some heterotrophic)
  • Bacteria: unicellular, live everywhere, diverse feeding strategies
• What are the main differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms?

  • Eukaryotic: have a nucleus, larger size, complex cell structure
  • Prokaryotic: no nucleus, smaller size, simpler cell structure
• What is the process of saprotrophic nutrition in fungi?


  1. Fungi secrete digestive enzymes onto food
  2. Enzymes break down food outside the body
  3. Fungi absorb the broken down nutrients
• What are the characteristics of viruses?


  • Non-living particles
  • Require a host cell to reproduce
  • Composed of a protein coat and genetic material (DNA or RNA)
  • Always cause harm to host organisms