What are the major characteristics considered for classifying all organisms in five kingdoms?
Major characteristics considered for classifying the organisms include:
1. Nature of cell:
Nature of the cell is considered to be the fundamental feature, as it gives rise to another feature called cellularity. It includes the presence or absence of membrane-bound organelles. Therefore, on the basis of this fundamental characteristic, we can classify living organisms into two broad categories of eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
2. Cellularity:
Unicellular organisms are those organisms whose body is made up of a single cell, whereas multicellularorganisms are those organisms whose body is made up of many cells. Multicellular organisms use the principle of division of labour to perform specialized functions. This results in a specific body design that distinguishes multicellula organisms from unicellular organisms.
3. Mode of nutrition:
The mode of nutrition also distinguishes different organisms. The ability to manufacture their own food makes the body design of plants different from that of animals.