Chapter-7

Diversity in Living Organisms

Biodiversity or Biological Diversity is the sum of all the different species of animals, plants, fungi, and
microbial organisms living on Earth and the variety of habitats in which they live.

Plants and animals have different body plans and internal structures which help them survive.
External and internal features are used to classify things.
Some organisms can't be classified as plants or animals

Importance of Classification
By making a comparative study and assorting the similarities and differences amongst the various varieties of
species, organisms can be classified into groups or sets.

Taxonomy is a regular branch of science that is involved with the purpose of arranging or grouping
organisms.

Importance of classification

It makes the study of such a wide variety of organisms easy.

It projects before us a good picture of all life forms at a glance.

It helps us understand the interrelationship among different groups of organisms.

It serves as a base for the development of other biological sciences such as biogeography etc.

Various fields of applied biology such as agriculture, public health and environmental biology depend
on classification of pests, disease vectors, pathogens and components of an ecosystem.

Variations in the Living World:

Life occurs in different forms on earth.
• Variations in Size: There are microorganisms that are a few micrometers in size and there a
few plants and animals that are huge like the red wood trees (100 meters) and blue whale (30
meters).
• Variations in Age: There are some species of pine trees that live for thousands of years while
there are some mosquitoes that live for a few days.
• Variations in Colour: There are some worms which are colourless while there are many
varieties of birds and flowers which are brightly coloured.

Basis of Classification:

Organisms are classified based on characteristics. Characters are details of appearance of behaviour,
ie. Form and function of a living organism.
The broadest divisions are made based on the most basic characters, for eg: when we divide all living
organisms as prokaryotes and eukaryotes, it is the broadest division and the characters based on type
of nuclear region in the cell is most basic.

Some basic characters used in classification are:

• Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes

• Unicellular and multicellular organisms

• Autotrophs and heterotrophs

• Level of organisation of organisms that perform photosynthesis

• Type of body development and nature of specialised organs for different functions
Classification and Evolution:

Classification of life forms depends on evolution too. Evolution is a complex process by which the
characteristics of living organisms change over many generations as traits are passed from one
generation to the next.
Characteristics that came into existence earlier are more basic than characteristics that have come into
existence later. Based on evolution we can divide the organisms into two groups: Primitive or lower
organisms and advanced or higher organisms.

Primitive organisms Advanced organisms

These are organisms with ancient body designs that
have not changed much hence they are termed as
lower organisms.
These organisms are considered older on the
evolutionary scale and have simpler body designs.
This group of organisms have acquired their body
designs relatively recently hence they are known as
higher organisms.
These organisms are considered younger and complex
on the evolutionary scale as their complexity in design
has increased over time.

Hierarchy of Classification- Groups

Ernst Haeckel (1894), Robert Whittaker (1959) and Carl Woese (1977) tried to classify all living
organisms into broad categories. Classification proposed by Whittaker includes Five Kingdoms and is
widely followed.

Five Kingdoms proposed by Whittaker are : MONERA, PROTISTA, FUNGI, PLANTAE and ANIMALIA.

The kingdoms are classified further using the following subgroups:

Let us take an example by classifying Human beings
Kingdom Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum (for animals) / Division (for plants) Phylum: Chordata
Class Subphylum: Vertebrata
Order Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Theria
Family
Infraclass: Eutheria
Genus Order: Primates
Species Suborder: Anthropoidea
Superfamily: Hominoidea
A species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a Family: Hominidae
taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms Genus: Homo
capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. Species: sapiens

Important Characters of the Five Kingdom System of Classification:

Kingdoms MONERA PROTISTA FUNGI PLANTAE ANIMALIA

Characters
Cell Type Prokaryote Eukaryote Eukaryote Eukaryote Eukaryote
Cell Unicellular Unicellular Unicellular/ Multicellular Multicellular
Number Multicellular
Mode of Autotrophic / Autotrophic / Heterotrophic- Usually Heterotrophi
Nutrition Heterotrophic Heterotrophic (Saprophytic) Autotrophic c
Presence May / May not May / May not be Present Present Absent
of Cell be present present (Made of chitin)
wall?
Any other Some members Some members Lichens are Photoautotro _
special are very have appendages symbiotic life phs- Use
feature primitive (cilia, flagella, forms- an solar energy
 (Archaebacteria pseudopodia) for association of to make food
) locomotion cyanobacteria by
and fungus. Photosynthes
is
Examples Bacteria Unicellular Algae Yeast, Spirogyra, Round
(Lactobacillus), (Chlamydomonas), Mushrooms, Riccia, Moss, worm, Tape
Blue green Diatoms, Bread Molds Fern, Pinus, worm ,
algae Protozoans (Mucor), Apple tree Hydra,
(Anabena), (Amoeba) Penicilium. House- fly,
Mycoplasma fish, man.

Kingdom Plantae

Basis of classification of Plant Kingdom into groups:

• Differentiation of the plant body

• Presence of specialised tissues for various functions (Transport of water etc.)

• Ability to bear seeds

• Are the seeds enclosed within fruits or not.

The Plant kingdom is broadly divided into two groups on the basis of reproductive organs and embryo
structure. These are Cryptogams and phanerogams.

Cryptogams Phanerogams
(Those with hidden reproductive organs) (Seed bearing plants)
• Reproductive organs are • Plants with well differentiated
inconspicuous reproductive tissues that make seeds
• They have naked embryos called • Seed consists of with stored food.
spores.

Cryptogams Phanerogams
Groups Thallophyta Bryophyta Pteridophyta Gymnosperms Angiosperms
Characters
Differentiation Plant body is Plant body Plant body Plant body Plant body
of plant body not well poorly differentiated differentiated differentiated
differentiated differentiated into root, stem into root, stem into root, stem
into root-like, and leaves. and leaves. and leaves.
stem-like and Seed bearing Flowering
leaf-like structures are plants with
structures. also present seeds
enclosed in
fruits.
Presence of Not Present Not Present Present- Present- Present-
specialised Specialised Specialised Specialised
tissues tissues for tissues for tissues for
conduction of conduction of conduction of
water and other water and other water and
substances. substances. other
substances.
Ability to bear No No No Yes Yes
 seeds
Flowering No No No No Yes- seeds
plants (Seeds Seeds are develop inside
enclosed naked (Gymno an organ that
within fruits) means naked is modified to
and sperma become a fruit.
means seed.
Any other Commonly Called Life cycle shows Usually Plant embryos
special feature called algae, ‘amphibians of alternation of perennial, in seeds have
are the plant generation evergreen and structures
predominantly kingdom’ woody plants. called
aquatic cotyledons.
Examples Spirogyra, Riccia, Marilea, Ferns, Pinus, Cycas, Mango tree,
Ulothrix, Marchantia, Horsetails. Deodar, Banana Plant,
Cladophora, Funaria (Moss) Araucaria grasses etc.
Chara

Angiosperms are divided into two groups on the basis of number of cotyledons present in the seed.
These groups are: Monocotyledonous plants and Dicotyledonous plants.

Monocotyledonous plants Dicotyledonous plants

• Single cotyledon present in the seed
• Fibrous root system
• Leaves with parallel venation
• Petals of flowers are usually in multiples of
three
• Two cotyledons present in the seed
• Tap root system
• Leaves with reticulate venation
• Petals of flowers are usually in fours or
fives.

Nomenclature
Carl Linnaeus, father of modern botany, was a Swedish naturalist who laid the foundation of modern
classification and nomenclature in 1758. He devised a binomial system of nomenclature (naming
system) in which an organism is given two names:

A generic name (name of genus) which it shares with other closely related organisms which has
features similar enough to place them in the same group.

A specific name ( name of species) which distinguishes the organism from all other species. No other
organism can have the same combination of genus and species.

The scientific name derived by using the system of nomenclature is followed all over the world as they
are guided by a set of rules stated in the International Code of Nomenclature.
Certain conventions are followed while writing the scientific names:
1. The name of the genus begins with a capital letter.
2. The name of the species begins with a small letter.
3. When printed, the scientific name is written in italics.
4. When written by hand, the genus name and the species name have to be underlined separately.

Assignment:

1. On what basis did Aristotle classify living organisms? What were the drawbacks of this method?

2. What was the modification introduced by Woese in Whittaker’s five kingdom system of
classification?
3. Why are blue green algae termed as cyanobacteria?

4. Differentiate between: Bryophytes and pteridophytes

5. Why is Spirogyra known as a thallophyte?

6. Why are advanced organisms also called complex organisms.

7. Place the following organisms in groups. The first one is done for you

a) Chara- Plant Kingdom – Group: Thallophyta

b) Cyanobacteria

c) Pinus

d) Mustard plant

e) Fern

f) Funaria