Question

Explain the basis for grouping the organisms?

Answer 1

Basis of Grouping of organisms:

RH Whitaker divided the living organisms into 5 kingdoms to make the study of these organisms convenient. These five kingdoms are-

1. Monera
2. Protista
3. Fungi
4. Plantae
5. Animalia

The organisms are divided on the following basis:

1. On the basis of the presence or absence of a nuclear membrane i.e. prokaryotic or eukaryotic- All the prokaryotic organisms which do not contain a nuclear membrane and are unicellular come under the kingdom Monera and the rest of the organisms are kept under other kingdoms. For e.g. Bacteria.
2. On the basis of cellularity- Whether the cells are living individually, that means unicellular or with more than one cell which is multicellular. All the unicellular eukaryotes are kept under the kingdom Protista. For e.g. Amoeba.
3. On the basis of the method of food preparation- Fungi and plants can produce their food on their own but animals depend on them for their food. Fungi prepare their food from dead and decaying organic matter whereas plants prepare their food with the help of sunlight.
4. On the basis of the presence or absence of a cell wall- Organisms belonging to the kingdom Fungi and Plantae have cell walls whereas organisms belonging to the kingdom Animalia do not have a cell wall.