PLANT CLASSIFICATION

DRILLING
 ROBERT WHITTAKAR’S FIVE
•
KINGDOM CLASSIFICATION
Robert Harding Whittaker (1920-1980) was an American Ecologist. In 1969 he
divided living organisms into 5 groups.
• For this classification Whittaker considered following criteria
1. Complexity of cell structure : Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic.
2. Complexity of organisms : Unicellular or Multicellular.
3. Mode of nutrition :
Plants – Autotrophic-Photosynthetic
Fungi- Saprophytic- Absorption from dead organisms.
Animals- Heterotrophic and ingestive.
4. Life style :
Plants - Producers
Animals - Consumers
Fungi - Decomposers
5. Phylogenetic relationship :Prokaryotic to Eukaryotic, unicellular to multicellular.
 CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING
ORGANISMS
• You must be looking varieties of animals around you. Some animals
are too small whereas some are too big. Some animals are terrestrial
where as some are aquatic. Some animals crawl on land, some swim
in water whereas some fly in air. Some animals have scales on skin
whereas some have feathers or hairs. In this way, there is huge
diversity among the animals too. According to recent studies,
estimated number of animal species on earth is approximately 7
millions. It is impossible to study each and every species. However,
if groups and sub-groups of animals are formed depending upon the
similarities & differences, it will make it very easy to study such vast
variety of animals.
 CLASSIFICATION
• Formation of groups and sub-groups of organisms
depending upon similarities and differences among
organisms is called as classification.
 BENEFITS OF ANIMAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Study of Organisms becomes convenient.
2. Study of few organisms from a group helps to understand
about that entire organism group.
3. It gives idea about organism evolution.
4. Organisms can be easily identified with great accuracy.
5. It helps to understand the relationship of organisms with
other living organisms.
6. It helps to understand the habitat of each organism and it's
exact role in the nature.
7. It helps to understand various adaptations shown by
organism.