MediumBiologyHigh School (9–10)GeneralDiversity of Living Organisms › Classification of Living OrganismsConceptual
A scientist finds a living thing on rotting leaves.
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A scientist finds a living thing on rotting leaves. It has many cells, each with a true nucleus and a wall of chitin. It makes no food. Which kingdom does it belong to? Which question did you ask first, and why that one?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Classification sorts living things by the basic plan of the body, asked in order: a true nucleus or not, one cell or many, a cell wall or not, how food is got, and how the body is built. Whittaker's five kingdoms. Monera: no true nucleus, one cell. Protista: a nucleus, one cell. Fungi: a nucleus, a wall of chitin, feed on dead matter. Plantae: many cells, a wall of cellulose, make food. Animalia: many cells, no wall, get food from others.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The first question. Does the cell have a true nucleus? This is asked first, because it splits all living things into prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the biggest difference of all.
Step 2. The answer. Yes, so it is not Monera.
Step 3. Wall and food. A wall of chitin, and no food made: it feeds on the rotting leaves.
Answer: Fungi. The first question is about the nucleus.
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