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💡 Five great groups
Whittaker sorted all life into five kingdoms using a few key questions: is the cell prokaryote or eukaryote? one cell or many? how does it feed?
Activity 12.3 — Let us study
In this Activity, we will study the five kingdom concept map to list the criteria on which the classification is based.
Activity 12.3 - Five Kingdoms
Step 1
Study the five kingdom concept map
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Step 2
List the criteria used
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Step 3
Compare cell type and cell structure
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Step 4
Compare level of organisation and nutrition
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Five criteria separate the kingdoms
- Study the concept map of the five kingdom classification (Fig. 12.5).
- List the criteria that form the basis of the classification.
- Compare your list with the given criteria — cell type (prokaryote or eukaryote) and cell structure (presence or absence of a cell wall).
- Also compare level of organisation (unicellular or multicellular) and mode of nutrition (autotrophic or heterotrophic).
What we observe
The five kingdoms are separated using
cell type, level of organisation, cell structure, mode of nutrition and ecological role
.
What are the criteria of the five kingdom classification?
Five Kingdom Criteria
Cell type - prokaryote or eukaryote Level - unicellular or multicellular Cell structure - wall present or absent Nutrition - autotroph or heterotroph
- Cell type — prokaryote (no true nucleus) or eukaryote (true nucleus).
- Level of organisation — unicellular or multicellular; and cell structure — presence or absence of a cell wall.
- Mode of nutrition (autotrophic or heterotrophic) and ecological role (producer, consumer or decomposer).
NCERT Question 8 — Viruses were studied in earlier
Viruses were studied in earlier classes. Why are they not placed in any of the five kingdoms? Give reasons.
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NCERT Question 9 — If you were asked to
If you were asked to revise the five kingdom classification, would you create a separate category for viruses or keep them outside the system? Justify your answer and explain what this indicates about the evolving nature of scientific classification.
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NCERT Question 10 — Viruses contain genetic material like
Viruses contain genetic material like living organisms but lack cellular organisation. Which features prevent them from fitting into the five kingdom system? What does this tell us about the limitations of classification systems?
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✅ Test Yourself
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Name the five kingdoms.
Show answer
Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia. -
Which kingdom has prokaryotic cells?
Show answer
Monera — bacteria and cyanobacteria, whose cells have no true, membrane-bound nucleus.
