Biology 6 Kingdoms

Animal

Most of the groups of organisms are classified under the Animal Kingdom, also known as Metazoa. This kingdom contains eukaryotic members and does not have any prokaryotes. The kingdom is filled with heterotrophs, meaning that they rely on other organisms for food.

Lasiorhinus krefftii is also known as the Northern hairy-nosed wombat. This animal belongs in the Vombatidae (wombats) group. The largest of the three wombat species is the northern hairy-nosed wombat, which averages about 32kg and reaches more than one metre in length. Compared with the common wombat, northern hairy-nosed wombats have softer fur, longer and more pointed ears and a broader muzzle fringed with fine whiskers. They are generally nocturnal but will sun themselves on winter mornings and afternoons.

Santamartamys rufodorsalis is also known as the Red-Crested Tree Rat. Santamartamys is a nocturnal rodent, and its diet is unknown, but it is assumed to feed on plant matter such as fruits or seeds. It is able to easily climb a vertical wooden surface. The specimen observed in 2011 made no sounds. It is endemic to Colombia, and has only been found in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. It is believed that the habitat of the red-crested tree rat is suffering degradation.

Plant

Plants are mainly multicellular, mostly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. The term refers to green plants, which form an unranked clade Viridiplantae (Latin for “green plants”). This includes the flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms, ferns, clubmosses, hornworts, liverworts, mosses and the green algae, and excludes the red and brown algae. Historically, plants formed one of two kingdoms covering all living things that were not animals, and both algae and fungi were treated as plants; however, all current definitions of “plant” exclude the fungi and some algae, as well as the prokaryotes.

Orbea variegata is also known as the Starfish plant. Orbea variegata is a leafless, glabrous, clump-forming succulent perennial. The four-angled stems are usually prominently sharp-toothed, with a soft tip, grey green mottled purple in full sun. Each stem can reach over 10 inches (25 cm). Starfish-like flower, corolla up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) across, transversely ridged, pale greenish-yellow with dark purple-brown spots mostly in 6 – 7 rows or sometimes irregularly scattered, annulus pentagonal, up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) across, pale yellow with small dots, lobes of corona yellow, dusted or spotted purple. Smooth, cylindrical fruits, blotched and dotted purple, up to 5 inches (12.5 cm) long.

Diphylleia grayi is also known as the skeleton flower. is mythically referred to as the “chameleon of the woods” because of the fact that when it rains its petals turn from being an opaque white to almost transparent. During this transition, the veins of the flower are exposed and drops of water cling to the veiny structure to create an ethereal, dewy lattice that almost looks like the skeleton of a flower rather than a lush, living specimen. When saturated, it looks like a spindly ice sculpture.

Fungus

A fungus (plural: fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from the other eukaryotic life kingdoms of plants and animals.

Amanita muscaria is commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita. Although classified as poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from its ingestion are extremely rare. After parboiling—which weakens its toxicity and breaks down the mushroom’s psychoactive substances—it is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituents being the compounds ibotenic acid and muscimol.

Morchella esculenta has many names including the common morel, morel, yellow morel, true morel, morel mushroom, and sponge morel. It is one of the most readily recognized of all the edible mushrooms and highly sought after. Each fruit body begins as a tightly compressed, grayish sponge with lighter ridges, and expands to form a large yellowish sponge with large pits and ridges raised on a large white stem.

Protista

The cells of protists are highly organized with a nucleus and specialized cellular machinery called organelles. At one time, simple organisms such as amoebas and single-celled algae were classified together in a single taxonomic category: the kingdom Protista.

Oxytricha is a ciliated protozoan. The protozoa are single celled eukaryotes, and so unlike bacteria, and like animals and plants, have a nucleus. Most ciliates inhabit the free-living microbial world (anywhere where there is water, at least occasionally) and are some of the most obvious, since they are both large and generally very motile, propelled though the water or scuttling along surfaces with the aid of numerous cilia.

Radiolaria’s skeletons tend to have arm-like extensions that resemble spikes, which are used both to increase surface area for buoyancy and to capture prey. Most radiolarias are planktonic, and get around by coasting along ocean currents. Most are somewhat spherical, but there exist a wide variety of shapes, including cone-like and tetrahedral forms. Besides their diversity of form, radiolarias also exhibit a wide variety of behaviors. They can reproduce sexually or asexually; they may be filter feeders or predators; and may even participate in symbiotic relations with unicellular algae.

Archaebacteria

Archaea were initially classified as bacteria, receiving the name archaebacteria (in the Archaebacteria kingdom), but this classification is outdated. Archaeal cells have unique properties separating them from the other two domains of life, Bacteria and Eukarya. The Archaea are further divided into multiple recognized phyla. Classification is difficult because the majority have not been isolated in the laboratory and have only been detected by analysis of their nucleic acids in samples from their environment.

The Lokiarchaeum composite genome consists of 5,381 protein coding genes. Of these, roughly 32% do not correspond to any known protein, 26% closely resemble archaeal proteins, and 29% correspond to bacterial proteins.

Crenarchaeota has the distinction of including microbial species with the highest known growth temperatures of any organisms. Although they are microscopic, single-celled organisms, they flourish under conditions which would quickly kill most “higher” organisms. As a rule, they grow best between 80° and 100°C (100°C = 212°F, the boiling point of water at sea level), and several species will not grow below 80°C.

Eubacteria

Eubacteria, known as “true bacteria,” are prokaryotic (lacking nucleus) cells that are very common in human daily life, encounter many more times than the archaebacteria. Eubacteria can be found almost everywhere and kill thousands upon thousands of people each year, but also serve as antibiotics producers and food digesters in our stomachs. We use Eubacteria to produce drugs, wine, and cheese.

The Proteobacteria are a major group (phylum) of bacteria. They include a wide variety of pathogens, such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, and many other notable genera. Others are free-living, and include many of the bacteria responsible for nitrogen fixation.

Spirochaeta represents a group of free-living, saccharolytic non-pathogenic, obligate or facultative anaerobic helical shaped bacteria. Isolated strains have been obtained from a variety of freshwaters and marine waters. Extremophilic species include anaerobic, thermophilic isolated form hot springs in New Zealand, the moderately thermophilic Spirochaeta caldaria from cyanobacterial mats of hot springs in Utah and Oregon and the extremely thermophilic Spirochaeta thermophila from marine areas in Shiaskotan Island in Russia.