5. Kingdom Protista
Plant-like protists
animal-like protists
Euglena
Amoeba
The first protoctists, which are a diverse group of single-celled organisms, appeared on Earth about 1 billion years ago. Protoctists include both plant-like and animal-like organisms and are believed to be the ancestors of modern plants, animals, and fungi.
Similar to plant cells:
-
cell wall made of cellulose
-
chloroplasts for photosynthesis
-
large central vacuole
Similar to animal cells:
-
flexible cell membrane
-
cytoplasm
-
organelles such as mitochondria.
Kingdom Funghi
Plant-like protists
animal-like protists
Euglena
Amoeba
Fungi are another group of eukaryotic organisms that colonized the Earth. They are characterized by their ability to decompose organic matter and are important for the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems. Fungi can be unicellular (eg: yeast) or filamentous (eg: mucor).
Yeast is an example of a unicellular fungus. It is a single cell with a cell wall and a cytoplasm containing organelles such as mitochondria and nuclei.
Mucor is an example of a filamentous fungus. It consists of long, thread-like strands called hyphae that grow and branch out to form a network called a mycelium. The hyphae of a filamentous fungus have cell walls and contain cytoplasm with organelles such as nuclei and mitochondria.