#1.3 Five kingdoms of living things


All living things are placed in one of five kingdoms. Each kingdoms has its own characteristics.

There is also another group that is of interest to biologists. They are the viruses. Biologists disagree about whether viruses should be classed as living things.

Most believe that they should not the only characteristics that they shared with living organisms is being able to reproduce.

The characteristics that Linnaeus used to divide all organisms into one of the five groups included:

• How many cells made up their bodies, if their cells were very simple or had complex parts

• If they can move on their own

• If they could make their own food, or had to eat other creatures to survive.

#1.2 Classification of living organisms

The first person to try to classify living things in a scientific way was a SWEDISH naturalist called Carolus Linnaeus.


He introduced his system of classification in 1735. He divided all the different kinds of living things into groups called  species. He recognised 12000 species.






Genera (singular: genus): Each genus contains several species with similar characteristics.

Several genera are then grouped into a family, families into orders, orders into classes, classes into phyla and finally phyla into kingdoms.

Chapter 1- Classification

#1.1 Characteristics of living things

The 7 characteristics that distinguish living things from non-living objects are: Nutrition,Excretion,Respiration,Sensitivity,Reproduction,Growth and Movement.  (MRS.GREN)




7 Characteristics of living things

** Some non-living things such as cars may appear to show some of the characteristics but not all of them!!
** Faeces and Defecation is not an example of EXCRETION  because they have not been formed through metabolism processes.