Five large groups
A neem tree and a mushroom look nothing alike. They are in different kingdoms, the largest groups.
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The rule
A kingdom is the largest group of living things. Cell type means whether the cell has a true nucleus. Cell number means one cell or many.
Chitin is a tough material in the cell walls of fungi. To absorb food is to take it in through the cell surface.
Three questions, asked in order, sort most living things. Cell type first, then cell number, then how it feeds. A chitin wall marks a fungus, even a one-celled yeast.
In the lab, drag the card to a gate answer. Or tap the answer. The card lands in a kingdom box.
Whittaker proposed the five kingdom scheme in 1969. The kingdoms are Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia.
- Monera: no nucleus.
- Protista: one cell, with a nucleus.
- Fungi: a chitin wall; absorbs food.
- Plantae: many cells, makes its own food.
- Animalia: many cells, eats other living things.
Five kingdoms
| Kingdom | Cell | Cell wall | Food | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monera | No true nucleus, one cell | Usually yes | Varies | Bacteria |
| Protista | True nucleus, one cell | Some | Varies | Amoeba, Euglena |
| Fungi | True nucleus, mostly many cells | Chitin | Absorbs food | Mushroom |
| Plantae | True nucleus, many cells | Cellulose | Makes its own | Neem tree |
| Animalia | True nucleus, many cells | None | Eats others | Sparrow |
Yeast is one cell. It has a chitin wall and absorbs food. So it is a fungus.
Watch out!
Growing in soil does not make a mushroom a plant. It has no chlorophyll, so it cannot make its own food.