Characteristics of the Four Kingdoms of Eukarya
Fungi
After digestion, building blocks of nutrients are absorbed into the organism's body by diffusion
Fungi
Can be either unicellular or multicellular
Fungi
Can combine with algae to form lichens.
Fungi
Carry out extracellular digestion by secreting hydrolytic enzymes outside the body.
Plantae
Carry out photosynthesis using chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b
Fungi
Cell walls are composed by chitin
Plantae
Cell walls are made of cellulose
Fungi
Example: yeast, mold, mushrooms, athlete's foot
Plantae
Examples: Mosses, ferns, and cone bearing and flowering plants
Animalia
Heterotrophic, multicellular eukaryotes
Fungi
Important to the ecosystem as decomposers
Animalia
In most species, a small flagellated sperm fertilizes a larger, non-motile egg
Protista
Includes both heterotrophs and autotrophs
Protista
Includes organisms that do not fit in fungi or plant kingdoms (e.g. seaweed and slime molds)
Protista
Kingdom includes the widest variety of organisms, but all are eukaryotes
Animalia
Most are motile
Protista
Most are single-celled, but many are primitive multicelled organisms
Animalia
Most reproduce sexually with a dominant diploid stage
Plantae
Multicellular, autotrophic eukaryotes
Protista
Organisms in this kingdom move by various means like pseudopods (amoeba), cilia (paramecium), and flagellum (euglena)
Fungi
Reproduce asexually by budding, spore formation or fragmentation. Can also reproduce sexually
Plantae
Reproduce sexually by alternating between gametophyte and sporophyte
Fungi
Saprobes
Protista
Some can cause serious diseases (e.g. amoebic dysentery and malaria)
Protista
Some carry out conjugation
Plantae
Some have vascular tissue (tracheophytes) and some do not (bryophytes)
Plantae
Store carbohydrates as starch
Animalia
Usually classified according to anatomical features and embryonic development
Fungi
all are heterotrophic eukaryotes
Lichens
combination of fungi and algae in a mutualistic relationship. Are photosynthetic and can survive harsh environments. Often, these are pioneer organisms.
Saprobes
organisms that obtain food from decaying organic matter; recycle nutrients in an ecosystem
