Biology

Kingdoms

The life around us is incredibly diverse. To help make sense of how all the different species relate to each other, scientists group them into six broad kingdoms.

This is a print version of an interactive online lesson. To sign up for the real thing or for curriculum

details about the lesson go to

www.cosmoslessons.com

Introduction: Kingdoms

Ferns are among the most ancient members of the plant kingdom. They were here before the dinosaurs. So it’s

amazing that it's taken us until now to make a new key discovery about how they live.

All plants need sunlight because they use its energy to make their own food through photosynthesis. But ferns live in the

shadows, usually on the forest �oor, where tall trees block out the Sun’s rays. So how do they survive with so little sunlight?

Scientists have just discovered their mysterious secret.

Sunlight is made up of many colours. Most plants can only capture blue light for photosynthesis. But blue light is blocked by

the forest canopy and the light that makes it through is mostly red. To compensate, ferns have a special protein that allows

them to absorb red light and use it for photosynthesis. They can then live happily in the shadows.

But there's more to the story of how ferns adapted to life on the forest �oor.

They can use the red light that other plants ignore because they have a gene that produces the special red-sensitive

protein. Usually animals and plants inherit genes from their parents but the ferns got theirs from another member of the

plant kingdom altogether – a sort of moss called a hornwort.

But there's still a mystery for the scientists to work out. No one is sure exactly how the gene moved from hornworts to

ferns. But for ferns, it sure was a lucky gift.

Read the full Cosmos Magazine article here.

Ferns acquired a gene from another species via a natural process, but genetic engineering allows us to do the same

thing arti�cially. Scientists took a gene from certain naturally glowing jelly�sh (left) to create GloFish (right). Although

originally designed to help them study pollution, the �sh are now marketed as the �rst genetically altered house pets.

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Question 1

Imagine: You discover a way to acquire a gene from another species. If you had to choose one characteristic to acquire

from another species, what characteristic would you choose and why?

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Gather: Kingdoms

Credit: Six Kingdoms of Classi�cation by Mark Drollinger (YouTube).

0:00 / 2:28

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Question 1

Notes: Use this space to take notes for the video.

Note: This is not a question and is optional, but we recommend taking notes – they will help you remember the main points of the

video and also help if you need to come back to answer a question or review the lesson.

Question 2

Recall: All living organisms can be grouped into kingdoms.

How many kingdoms are there?

2

3

4

6

I'm not sure

Question 3

De�ne: A eukaryotic cell is one that:

lacks a nucleus

has a nucleus

I'm not sure

Question 4

Compare: Photosynthesis is a process that uses the

energy in sunlight to create food. Which of the following

carry out photosynthesis?

Plants

Fungi

Animals

I'm not sure

Question 5

Recall: What is the scienti�c term used to describe

organisms that make food through photosynthesis?

Multitrophs

Autotrophs

Phototrophs

Heterotrophs

I'm not sure

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Question 6

Classify: Complete the following table below by adding the missing information.

Organism KingdomUnicellular or

multicellular?

How it obtains energy

or food

Prokaryotic or

eukaryotic?

Bear Eats other organisms

Plants Eukaryotic

Mushroom Multicellular Eukaryotic

SalmonellaAbsorbs nutrients from

its surroundingsProkaryotic

Amoeba Protists UnicellularAbsorbs nutrients from

its surroundings Eukaryotic

Halobacteriales Archaea UnicellularAbsorbs nutrients from

its surroundings

Question 7

Describe: The Cosmos Magazine article reveals that ferns acquired a gene from a moss. Examine the above images and

identify the features that place ferns and mosses in the plant kingdom.

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Question 8

Place: Add the appropriate kingdom into each of the empty boxes below.

Living organism

unicellular

no nucleus

nucleus

obtains energy

by...

eating food

absorbing sun-

light

decomposing

detritus

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Process: Kingdoms

Question 1

Calculate: One of the de�ning characteristics of ferns is their beautiful unfurling fronds. Frond blades are made up of

pinnae (smaller segments of the blade) and each pinna is made up pinnules (the little leaves). 

If a fern has 6 fronds, with each frond having 12 pinnae and each pinna having 32 pinnules, how many pinnules does the

fern have in total?

Credit: The Private Life of Plants –

Fungi by BBC/Globalzoo (YouTube).

0:00 / 5:02

Credit: Ferns by NWdocumentary (YouTube).

0:00 / 1:28

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Question 2

Notes: Use this space to take notes for the video.

Note: This is not a question and is optional.

Question 3

Distinguish: Having watched the two videos, describe the distinguishing features between fungi and ferns.

Question 4

Think: Which of the following do ferns and fungi have in

common?

Need for water

Need for sunlight

Need for carbon dioxide

I'm not sure

Question 5

Sequence: The nutrients from a rotting tree can be reused

by:

First fungi and then ferns

First ferns and then fungi

The order is irrelevant

I'm not sure

Question 7

Explain: If you had di�culty deciding on your response to the previous question then you would have found yourself in

Question 6

Compare: Scientists used to classify all organisms as either plants or animals. In which of these two kingdoms do you think

bacteria were placed? Explain your answer.

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Activity: Kingdoms

Kingdom cards

CLL_Kingdom_printable.pdf

Question 1

It took the discovery and careful examination of hundreds of organisms before scientists were able to settle on the six

kingdoms we know today. Now it's time for you to forget about the kingdoms you've learnt about in this lesson and

propose your own kingdoms!

Examine the Cosmos printable cards provided above, either on your screen or after printing them and cutting them out.

Using the information and images provided on the cards, group the organisms into three new kingdoms. Make sure to name

each of your kingdoms and explain your groupings.

Once you've �nished, add your own organism onto the blank card. This can either be an existing organism or one that you

make up. Which of your kingdoms does the organism belong to? Swap cards with a neighbour and identify which of your

kingdoms their organism belongs to.

Hint: You might �nd the table or mind map tools useful for grouping your organisms.

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Career: Kingdoms

Kevin Rowe is a molecular biologist on a mission to discover new species. Each time he succeeds in �nding one, he has

to classify it to work out how it relates to the species we already know.

Growing up in sunny Southern California, Kevin didn’t

know if he wanted to be a poet, a biologist or an engineer.

In high school and university, he studied everything from

anthropology to biology but one thing remained constant –

his great love for nature and the wilderness.

This passion led Kevin to pursue a career in biology, and in

2001 he joined the Melbourne Museum in Australia. The

museum is home to hundreds of carefully preserved

animals, some of which are more than 100 years old. Even

so, Kevin is determined to discover new animals to further

expand the museum’s collection.

There isn’t a typical work day for Kevin. There are the quiet

days he spends working in the lab, analysing DNA from the

museum's specimens to understand how these animals

evolved to cope with changing conditions over time. And

then there are the days he spends slogging through the

hot, humid rainforests of Indonesia in search of new

species.

Although we've managed to identify around 1.2 million

species of living things, there are still six times that many

species out there yet to be discovered, says Kevin. And he

loves �nding new species. Kevin has discovered rats in the

Indonesian rainforest that no one previously knew existed.

In his spare time, Kevin enjoys outdoor activities, including

hiking, gardening, and swimming.

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Question 1

Propose:  If you had the opportunity to suggest a location anywhere in the world where Kevin could �nd new species,

where would it be and why?

Image credits

Introduction: Anna Utkina/Getty Images and GloFish/Getty

Images; Career: Museum Victoria. 

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Test: Kingdoms

Note: There may be more than one correct answer to the multiple-choice questions below.

Question 1 (1 mark)

Which of the following is a complete list of the kingdoms?

Plants, animals, bacteria

Plants, animals, bacteria, �sh, mammals,

amphibians

Plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea

Plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, protists,

archaea

I'm not sure

Question 2 (1 mark)

Scientists used to classify living things into only two

kingdoms. What were they?

Animals and humans

Animals and plants

Vertebrates and invertebrates

Autotrophs and heterotrophs

I'm not sure

Question 3 (1 mark)

Plants use the Sun's energy to produce their own food by

photosynthesis. For this reason they are classi�ed as:

prokaryotic

eukaryotic

autotrophs

heterotrophs

I'm not sure

Question 4 (1 mark)

Which of the following obtain the energy they need by

eating other living things?

Salmon

Elephants

Pine trees

Salmonella bacteria

Spiders

I'm not sure

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Question 5 (1 mark)

All unicellular organisms have one nucleus.

True

False

I'm not sure

Question 6 (1 mark)

A cell that lacks a nucleus is described as:

heterotrophic

photosynthetic

eukaryotic

prokaryotic

I'm not sure

Question 7 (1 mark)

Which of the following are multicellular?

Plants

Fungi

Archaea

Bacteria

Animals

Protists

I'm not sure

Question 8 (1 mark)

Which of the following have cells that lack a nucleus?

Plants

Archaea

Bacteria

Animals

I'm not sure

Question 9 (1 mark)

Ferns are classi�ed as plants because they are:

multicellular, eukaryotic autotrophs

multicellular, eukaryotic decomposers

unicellular, prokaryotic autotrophs

multicellular, eukaryotic heterotrophs

I'm not sure

Question 10 (1 mark)

Dogs are classi�ed as animals because they are:

multicellular, eukaryotic autotrophs

multicellular, eukaryotic decomposers

unicellular, prokaryotic autotrophs

multicellular, eukaryotic heterotrophs

I'm not sure

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Question 11 (1 mark)

Which features do ferns and fungi have in common?

Have leaves

Need moisture

Produce spores to reproduce

Have roots

None, because they belong to di�erent

kingdoms

I'm not sure

Question 12 (1 mark)

As an experiment, a fern and a fungus are supplied with

moist soil and nutrients, and placed in a completely dark

room. Which one is likely to survive the longest in these

conditions?

The fungus

The fern

It depends on their usual life span because

they both have everything they need

I'm not sure

Question 13 (1 mark)

The image on the left shows a fungus growing among dead

leaves on a forest �oor. What is the role of the thin white

threads?

They produce food using sunlight via

photosynthesis

They release spores that allow the fungus to

reproduce

They absorb nutrients from the soil, just like

the roots of plants

They release a strong acid to break down the

dead leaves and then absorb the nutrients

I'm not sure

Question 14 (1 mark)

How do fungi bene�t the entire forest in which they live?

By eating other animals that would otherwise multiply out of control

By decomposing dead plant matter and returning the nutrients to the soil

By converting the energy in sunlight into food that can be eaten by animals

I'm not sure

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Total available marks: 17

Question 15 (1 mark)

Learning goal 1: The six kingdoms of living things can be distinguished by answering three questions:

How many cells is each organism made up of?

Do the cells have a nucleus?

How does the organism obtain energy?

Choose one of these features and explain how it divides up the kingdoms into groups.

Question 16 (1 mark)

Learning goal 2: Streptococcus is a type of bacteria. An oryx is a type of animal. Describe the similarities and di�erences

between these two living things, based only on this information and your understanding of the kingdoms.

Question 17 (1 mark)

Learning goal 3: Describe two important di�erences between ferns and fungi.

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