CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING BEINGS

Classification of living beings

THE FIVE KINGDOMS

Animales

PLANT KINGDOM

Plants

PROTIST KINGDOM

Protozoa

MONERA KINGDOM

Bacteria

FUNGI KINGDOM

Mushrooms, molds and yeasts

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Pluricellular

Heterotrophs

Pluricellular

Autotrophs

Pluricellular

Heterotrophs

Unicellular

Heterotrophs and autotrophs

Unicellular

Heterotrophs

Algae

Unicellular and multicellular

Autotrophs

Multicellular beings are formed by two or more cells. These cells are eukaryotic, which means they have a nucleus that's differentiated from the rest of the elements of the cell. Have you ever stopped to think that you are the result of the union and organization of a huge number of cells? Do you know how many cells you're made up of?

The beings of the animal kingdom are heterotrophic, meaning they obtain their food from other living beings. Are animals that feed on plants, such as this koala and its calf also heterotrophic?

Autotrophic beings manufacture their own food. In the case of plants, do you know about the wonderful process that allows them to transform light, water, minerals and carbon dioxide into food?

The beings of the Fungi kingdom are heterotrophic, meaning that they obtain their food from other living beings, although we could also say "from other dead beings", since mushrooms, molds and yeasts are great decomposers of the dead matter of animals and plants. Do you know the name of the organism that is feeding on the orange in the photograph?

Unicellular beings are formed by a single cell. In the case of bacteria, this cell is prokaryotic, meaning that it does not have a nucleus that is differentiated. However, it usually has "flagella"; do you know what flagella allow bacteria to do?

This classification into kingdoms is the most popular. It was created by Robert H. Whittaker based on two variables: the different cellular organization of living beings and how they feed. In the diagram, you will see that we have used the following color code according to the different types of each variable. Cellular UnicellularPluricellularFood AutotrophsHeterotrophs

Algae are autotrophic beings because they manufacture their own food. They do it in the same way as beings from another kingdom; do you know which process and kingdom we are talking about?

There are bacteria that obtain their food from other beings (heterotrophs) and others that manufacture it themselves (autotrophs), they adapt very well to any environment, which explains why they are the most abundant organisms on Earth. In your body there are 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells!

Protozoa are heterotrophic beings, since they obtain their food from living beings. They do this by parasitizing or hunting them, since many protozoa feed on the beings of another kingdom, serving to control their enormous population. Can you imagine what other kingdom we are talking about? By the way, the protozoan that you see in the image that looks like an alien is a parasite of the human intestine.

Like the beings of other kingdoms, those of the plant kingdom are multicellular, that is, they are formed by two or more cells. These cells are also eukaryotic, meaning that they have a nucleus that's differentiated from the rest of the cell's elements. However, they have a fundamental difference with respect to the cells of the animal kingdom; do you know what this difference is?

Algae are beings formed by one or more cells, meaning that they can be unicellular or multicellular. However, their cell always has a nucleus that is differentiated from the rest of the cell's elements. Do you remember what this type of cell is called?

Although in this kingdom there is a unicellular member (yeasts), the rest (molds and mushrooms) are multicellular beings, formed by two or more cells that are also eukaryotic, meaning that they have a nucleus that is differentiated from the rest of the elements of the cell. According to their characteristics, which kingdom do you think the Fungi kingdom is most similar to?

Unicellular beings are formed by a single cell. In the case of protozoa, this cell is eukaryotic, meaning that it has a nucleus that is differentiated from the rest of the cell elements. Where do you think they prefer to live, in humid or dry areas?