Six Kingdoms That We Classify Organisms Into Today

All living things on our planet are broken down and classified within just six different groups known as kingdoms. Each kingdom has a set of requirements that are met for an organism to be classed within it. Factors such as reproduction, method of gaining energy and cell structures can influence how something, from the smallest bacteria to an elephant, is understood in scientific terms.

  1. Animal Kingdom

    • With over a million species, including ourselves, the animal kingdom is hugely diverse, ranging from tiny insects to the massive whales of the oceans. Members of the animal kingdom are defined as being multi-cellular, gain energy from food consumption, are capable of independent motion and are cells without cell walls.

    Plant Kingdom

    • With an excess of 250,000 species, the plant kingdom is just as diverse as the animal kingdom. Its members range from small daises to towering redwood trees, and the plant kingdom also includes mosses. Plant species are recognized as being able to make food by using sunlight to create sugars in their cells. Unlike animals, plants stay in one fixed place and have cell walls in their cells.

    Fungi Kingdom

    • For a long time fungi was thought to a member of the plant kingdom, but it is now accepted as its own kingdom. Including organisms such as mushrooms, toadstools and yeasts, members of the fungi kingdom are more like animals in that they have to draw nutrition from food. They cannot use sunlight, like plants, but do tend to be fixed in one place. Fungi cells do have cell walls but they are made from chitin, which is the substance insect shells are made of.

    Monera Kingdom Archaebacteria

    • Unlike animals, plants and fungi, archaebacteria are single-celled organisms. Part of the Monera kingdom, they are bacteria that do not have a nucleus and were among the first forms of life on planet Earth. Archaebacteria are defined as bacteria capable of existing in areas of extreme conditions, such as areas of high geothermal temperatures.

    Monera Kingdom Eubacteria

    • Eubacteria is a different group of the Monera Kingdom. They are single-celled organisms that can obtain energy from photosynthesis like plants, or from organic matter like fungi. Some can even break down inorganic matter into organic matter.

    Protists Kingdom

    • Members of the protists kingdom can be varied. Some are single-celled while others are multi-cellular, such as algae. They all have a nucleus in their cells. Some can move on their own while others cannot. Mostly found in water or damp conditions such as mud or the human body, they can be parasitic. Protists are any living organism that cannot be defined in any of the other five kingdoms.