Kingdom Plantae
Includes all eukaryotic, chlorophyll-containing organisms (mostly plants)! 🌱 Most make their own food, but some exceptions exist:
- 🎯 Partially heterotrophic members: Insect-eaters like Bladderwort and Venus fly trap, or parasites like Cuscuta.
- 🧫 Cell structure:
- True nucleus (eukaryotic)
- Prominent chloroplasts
- Cell wall made mainly of cellulose
- 📊 Major groups: Algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.
- 🔄 Life cycle magic! Plants show alternation of generations:
- Two phases: Diploid sporophyte (makes spores) ↔️ Haploid gametophyte (makes gametes).
- How long each phase lasts and whether they live independently varies across plant groups.
Kingdom Animalia
Meet the multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryotes with no cell walls! 🐾 Key features:
- 🍴 Food dependence: Rely directly/indirectly on plants. Digest food in an internal cavity.
- 💪 Nutrition & storage:
- Holozoic mode (eat food by ingestion!)
- Store reserves as glycogen or fat.
- 📏 Growth: Follow a definite pattern to become adults with specific shape/size.
- ⚡ Advanced features (in higher forms):
- Elaborate sensory systems
- Neuromotor mechanisms
- Most can move (locomotion)!
- ❤️ Reproduction: Sexual via copulation + embryological development.
Viruses, Viroids, Prions & Lichens
These weren’t included in Whittaker’s 5-kingdom system! Here’s a quick intro:
- 🤒 Viruses:
- Non-cellular and not considered “truly living” (no cell structure!).
- Exist as inert crystals outside living cells.
- Cause diseases like common cold or flu 😷.
NEET Spotlight ✨ (Must-Know Concepts!)
- Plantae’s heterotrophic exceptions: Insectivorous plants (Bladderwort/Venus fly trap) & parasites (Cuscuta).
- Alternation of generations in plants: Diploid sporophyte ↔️ haploid gametophyte phases.
- Animalia’s key traits: Heterotrophic, no cell walls, holozoic nutrition, glycogen/fat storage.
- Viruses’ non-living status: Due to lacking cellular structure + inert crystalline form.
