Imagine going into a supermarket and finding a tin of beans on a shelf next to a toothbrush next to a loaf of bread and a packet of sweets. No, things are not positioned randomly, but by theme.
Can you think of other examples of shops that order items? Write these down on a list.
Highlight the section below and you should see some answers:
Bookshops arrange by genre and then by author. Computer games shops group by brand of console. Online stores have items in categories.
Just as in these examples, scientists also group (or classify) animals. Watch this video to see more:
It is important for biologists to be able to understand how living things are related to and depend on each other, in order to appreciate the diversity of life on the planet and the need for conservation. Recent estimates indicate that while there are over 8 million species of organisms on the Earth, only 1.3 million have been found and categorised so far.
Understanding and appreciating the enormous diversity of life on Earth enables scientists to make great advances in various fields, such as medicine. By looking in detail at organisms’ characteristics, specifically their similarities and differences, it is possible to group and classify them, helping to understand their behaviour, relationships and interdependencies.
Kingdoms
All living things can be divided into five main kingdoms, according to certain characteristics. One of the main characteristics is what their cells look like.
The three most well-known kingdoms of multicellular organisms are:
Animals: Multicellular organisms that feed on plants or other animals.
Plants: Organisms that are able to make their own food by the process of photosynthesis.
Fungi: Organisms that play an important role in decomposing plant and animal matter. Examples of fungi include athlete’s foot, ringworm, mushrooms and toadstools.
In addition, there are many microorganisms that do not fall into the above three kingdoms. These include bacteria, some seaweeds, amoebas and many other single-celled organisms. These are defined as protoctista and prokaryote (but you will not be expected to remember this!)
Activity
Produce a poster to show at least 5 examples of organisms from each of these kingdoms – use Animals, Plants, Fungi and Other. You can do this on a computer or with your own illustrations – be as creative as you like!