Welcome to

Introduction to Classification
 Recall! Taxonomy

• The branch of study that deals with principles and procedures of

identification, classification and nomenclature of organisms is called
taxonomy.
 Need for
Classification
What do you see here?
Which of these are fruits? Which are vegetables?
 Let’s classify!

Fruits- Watermelon, orange, muskmelon, kiwi,

grapes, berries, pear, banana, lemon, pomegranate.
 Let’s classify!

Vegetables- Carrot, broccoli,

beans, onion, garlic, tomato
Classification to study diversity of living world
 Biological
Classification
 Biological Classification

Objectives of Biological Classification-

● Identification and description of organisms

● Arrangement of organism in various categories

● Evolve a phylogenetic system

Let’s travel back in
time to learn about
history of
classification
 History of
Classification
 History of Classification

ARISTOTLE
● Father of biology
● Earliest scientific classification based on simple
morphological characters
● Classified living things as plants and animals
 History of Classification

Soft Stem (Herbs)

Plants One Woody Stem (Trees)

Several Woody Stems (Shrubs)

Air Dwellers
Habitat
Water Dwellers

Land Dwellers
Animals
Enaima (with RBC)

RBC
Anaima
(without RBC)
 History of Classification

● First novel attempt

● No evolutionary of classification of
relationships living organisms
consideration

Merit
Demerit
Classification
Systems
 Two Kingdom Classification

Carolus Linnaeus
★ Father of Taxonomy.
★ Gave two kingdom classification
★ Wrote Species plantarum and Systema naturae

Two Kingdom Classification (1758)

Plantae Animalia
Are two kingdoms enough to classify all organisms?
Three and four
kingdom
classification
 Three Kingdom Classification

ERNST HAECKEL
● Proposed three kingdom classification
● Established Kingdom Protista

Protista
Ernst Haeckel

Plantae

Animalia

● Demerit : Not accepted because both

prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms
containing chlorophyll were grouped
together
 Four Kingdom Classification

HERBERT COPELAND
● Proposed four kingdom classification
● Established Kingdom Monera

Monera

Herbert Copeland
Protista
Habitat
Plantae

Animalia

● Demerit : Algae, Fungi, and Protozoan were

all included under Kingdom Protista
Five kingdom
Classification
 Five Kingdom Classification

ROBERT H. WHITTAKER
● Proposed five kingdom classification in 1969
● Established Kingdom Fungi
● Based on :
○ Cell structure R H Whittaker

○ Body organisation
○ Mode of nutrition
○ Reproduction
○ Phylogenetic relationship
 Five Kingdom Classification

Fungi
Eukaryotic

Protista Plantae
Eukaryotic Eukaryotic

Monera Cell Type Animalia

Prokaryotic Eukaryotic
 Five Kingdom Classification

Fungi
Present with
chitin
Protista Plantae
Present in some
(varied Present with
composition) cellulose

Monera Animalia
Present Non- Cell Wall
cellulosic Absent
(polysaccharide +
amino acid)
 Five Kingdom Classification

Fungi
Present

Protista Plantae
Present Present

Monera Nuclear Animalia

Absent Present
Membrane
 Five Kingdom Classification

Fungi
Multicellular /
Loose Tissue
Protista Plantae
Cellular Tissue / Organ

Monera Body Animalia

Cellular Organisation Tissue / Organ/
Organ System
 Five Kingdom Classification

Fungi
Heterotrophic
(saprophytic/
parasitic)
Protista
Autotrophic
(photosynthetic) and Plantae
Heterotrophic Autotrophic
(photosynthetic)

Monera Animalia
Autotrophic Mode Of Heterotrophic
(chemosynthetic/ Nutrition (holozoic/
photosynthetic) Saprophytic etc)
Heterotrophic
(saprophytic/parasitic
 Ecological role Producer Decomposer Consumer

Heterotrophy Heterotrophy
Autotroph

Direction of Evolution
Absorption Ingestion
Mode of Photosynthesis
nutrition
Kingdom
Kingdom
Fungi
Kingdom Animalia
Plantae

Complexity of Complex (multicellular)

organism
Simple (unicellular) Kingdom protista

Complexity of Eukaryotes
Cell
Prokaryotes Kingdom Monera
 Let’s
Solve a
Question!
In Whittaker’s five kingdom classification, all unicellular
eukaryotes, primarily aquatic and having a well defined
nucleus and various cell organelles belong to

A Monera

B Protista

C Animalia

D Plantae
In Whittaker’s five kingdom classification, all unicellular
eukaryotes, primarily aquatic and having a well defined
nucleus and various cell organelles belong to

A Monera

B Protista

C Animalia

D Plantae
 Discussion

B Protista

R.H. Whittaker proposed the five kingdom classification. In his

system of classification:

★ Kingdom Monera includes all the unicellular prokaryotes.

★ Kingdom Protista includes the unicellular eukaryotes, which

are primarily aquatic and have a well defined nucleus and
various other cell organelles.
Which kingdom shows maximum nutritional diversity?

A Monera

B Fungi

C Plantae

D Animalia
Which kingdom shows maximum nutritional diversity?

A Monera

B Fungi

C Plantae

D Animalia
 Discussion

A Monera

Kingdom Monera shows the maximum nutritional diversity.

★ Kingdom Monera includes autotrophs

(chemosynthetic/photosynthetic) heterotrophs
(saprophytic/parasitic).

★ Kingdom Fungi constitutes heterotrophs

(saprophytic/parasitic).

★ Kingdom Plantae includes the autotrophs (photosynthetic).

★ Kingdom Animalia includes Heterotrophs

(holozoic/Saprophytic etc).
 Merits and
Demerits of
Five kingdom
classification
 Merits

Merits:

★ Prokaryotes got a separate place as Kingdom Monera

★ Unicellular and multicellular organisms are kept separate

★ Fungi are placed in a separate kingdom as their mode of nutrition

differs from all other plants

★ Autotrophs and heterotrophs are placed separately.

 Demerits

Demerits:

★ Some unicellular algae (Chlamydomonas) are kept in Kingdom

Protista, away from remaining algae placed in Kingdom Plantae

★ Chlorella and Chlamydomonas (autotrophic) placed with

Paramecium and Amoeba (heterotrophic) in Kingdom Protista

★ No place for viruses and lichens

Let us summarise..!
 Plantae

Two Kingdom
Classification
(1758)

Animalia

Protista

Three Kingdom
Classification
(1860s) Plantae

Ernst Haeckel Animalia

 Monera

Four Kingdom
Classification
(1860s) Protista

Plantae

Herbert Copeland Animalia

Monera

Protista
Four Kingdom
Classification
(1860s) Fungi

Plantae

R H Whittaker
Animalia
 Keep
Learning!!