Logo
PricingPartner with Us
SIGN IN / SIGN UP
Chapter 2

Biological Classification

    Home
  • CBSE
  • Class 11
  • Biology
  • Biological Classification

Chapter 2 Biology Class 11 delves into the concept of biological classification. Aristotle was the first person to investigate animal taxonomy. His categorization system was based only on the observation of physical differences between species. The two primary groupings were defined depending on whether or not the organism possessed red blood cells. Carolus Linnaeus presented the Plantae Kingdom and the Animalia Kingdom as the two kingdoms of taxonomy. Plants and animals could be easily classified using this system. Some species, however, did not fall into any of these groups.

R.H. Whittaker proposed a five-kingdom categorization system, with Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia as the five kingdoms. Some of the features considered in this categorization are the structure of cells, body organization, mode of nourishment, mode of reproduction, and phylogenetic relationship. Following that, a three-domain approach was developed. Kingdom Monera was separated into two domains, and the remaining eukaryotic kingdoms were placed in the third domain, thereby categorizing the six Kingdoms. Biological Classification NCERT expressly focuses on the Monera, Protista, Fungi, and Plantae Kingdoms and viruses, viroids, prions, and lichens.

 

   S. No.

Topics

      1

Introduction

      2

Kingdom Monera

      3

Kingdom Protista

      4

Kingdom Fungi

      5 

Kingdom Plantae

      6

Viruses, Viroids, Prions, and Lichens

 

Introduction

Biological classification is the scientific procedure of categorizing and classifying organisms into hierarchical groups and subgroups based on their differences and similarities. Many scientists have weighed in on this categorization approach. It took researchers years to settle on the essential traits. Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish physician and naturalist, produced multiple works on various plant and animal species in the mid-1700s. He devised the two-part binomial taxonomy method of categorizing creatures according to genus and species based on his categorization system, which grouped organisms based on shared physical qualities. This method of categorization worked well. His work was later merged with that of Charles Darwin, laying the groundwork for the current taxonomy. Chapter 2 Biology Class 11 focuses on categories in this topic at a more intense level.

Kingdom Monera consisted of prokaryotic organisms. The organisms in the species that make up this kingdom have cells that lack a membrane-bound nucleus. The nucleus does not contain their DNA either. These are the world's earliest known microbes. They are single-celled organisms that prefer to live in a moist environment. They live in hot springs, snow, deep seas, and parasites on other creatures. There are no membrane-bound organelles in monerans.

Protists are non-plant, non-animal, and non-fungal eukaryotic creatures. They are usually unicellular. However, they can sometimes also be found as colonies of cells. The majority of protists live in water, moist terrestrial settings, or as parasites. The word ‘protista’ comes from the Greek word ‘protistas’, which means ‘first’. Their cells have a membrane-bound nucleus connected to the organelles. Some of them even have locomotion-aiding features like flagella or cilia. 

Although most protist species are unicellular, there are a few multicellular protists, such as kelp (seaweed). Kelp species may reach heights of more than 100 feet in some cases. Members of this class show signs of symbiosis. For example, seaweed protects otters from predators with its thick kelp. The otters, in turn, consume sea urchins, which eat kelp.

Fungi are eukaryotic creatures that include yeast, mold, and mushrooms, as well as other microbes. These creatures belong to Kingdom Fungi. These creatures have a cell wall and are widely distributed. Among living creatures, they are categorized as heterotrophs. Fungi are also responsible for the emergence of black spots on bread that has been left outside for several days. Mushrooms and yeast cells are often employed in the making of beer and bread. They are also present in the majority of skin infections and fungal illnesses. Fungi thrive in damp, warm environments.

 

In Kingdom Fungi, the traditional manner of sexual reproduction is not always observed. The fusing of two haploid hyphae does not always result in producing a diploid cell in some fungi. In such instances, a transitional stage known as the dikaryophase emerges. This step is followed by the development of diploid cells.

 

Fungi are one of the most important groups of creatures on the planet. They play a key part in the biosphere and have significant economic value due to their beneficial and detrimental impact.

Plantae is the plant kingdom that encompasses all of the world's plants. They are eukaryotes and are multicellular organisms. They are distinguished by a stiff structure provided by the cell wall that surrounds the cell membrane. Plants also have a green pigment called chlorophyll, which gives them their green hue and is necessary for photosynthesis. As a result, they eat in an autotrophic manner. Because the plant kingdom is such a large group, it is further divided into subgroups. The easiest method to learn about plants is to understand how they are classified under the Kingdom Plantae.

  • Viruses: Viruses are tiny infectious organisms that can only multiply inside a host cell and are non-cellular. Viruses cannot be classed as either living or non-living organisms from a biological standpoint. This is because they share some distinguishing characteristics with both living and non-living species.

 

  • Viroids: Viroids are the tiniest infectious pathogens ever discovered. A viroid is made up entirely of a single-stranded circular RNA strand with no protein covering. All known viroids are found in higher plants, and the majority of them cause illnesses with varying economic implications for humans. The viroid genome is entirely made of nucleic acid. However, it does not code for any proteins. The viroid replication method uses RNA polymerase II, a host cell enzyme that typically catalyzes messenger RNA synthesis from DNA but instead catalyzes rolling circle RNA synthesis using viroid RNA as a template.

  • Prions: Proteinaceous infectious particles are referred to as prions. These infectious organisms cause a variety of neurological disorders in animals, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This occurs as a result of aberrant protein folding in the brain. It implies that infectious organisms that cause illnesses are made up entirely of proteins. It clarified why infectious pathogens are resistant to UV rays. They can degrade nucleic acids, but they are also susceptible to chemicals that denature proteins.

  • Lichens: A lichen is a complex life form. They are not a single creature but a system of symbiosis between organisms from different species such as fungus and cyanobacteria or algae (cyanobacteria are not the same as algae, but they are sometimes referred to as blue-green algae). Photobiont is a non-fungal component that has chlorophyll. Many lichen partners have one photobiont and one mycobiont. However, some lichens will also have numerous photobiont partners. The fungal partner may be composed of filamentous cells, where each is called a hypha. These hyphae may branch, but they keep their distance constant and expand through extension.

What are the concepts important from the first-term exam point of view in the NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 2 Biological Classification?

The concepts important from the first-term exam point of view in the Class 11 Bio Ch 2 NCERT Solutions ​are:

    • Viruses, Viroids, Prions and Lichens

    • Kingdom Plantae

    • Kingdom Protista

    • Kingdom Fungi

 

What is the biological classification of the environment in Class 11?

 

The method by which scientists classify and differentiate creatures into several groups is known as biological categorization of the environment in Chapter 2 Biology Class 11. In biological categorization, the hierarchy and subdivisions are made based on the characteristics of the animals and the environment in which they exist. This process helps scientists and researchers study different organisms properly according to the hierarchy they are placed in.

 

How is the classification of five Kingdoms advantageous over the two-Kingdom classification?

 

According to Biological Classifications Class 11 NCERT Solutions, there was no distinction between eukaryotes and prokaryotes, unicellular and multicellular creatures, or photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic organisms in the two-kingdom categorization. The kingdom Plantae comprised bacteria, blue-green algae, fungi, and moss in the two-kingdom classification. It grouped individual organisms who were very different from one another. Many species did not fit into any of the categories. As a result, the two-kingdom categorization was weak and unsatisfactory.

 

The five-kingdom classification examined other variables like cell structure, manner of nourishment, thallus organization, reproduction, and evolutionary connections, which answered the concerns. The creatures were divided into five groups using this categorization technique. Kingdom Monera was assigned to all prokaryotes. Kingdom Protista was assigned to unicellular eukaryotes. Fungi belonged in their own kingdom. As a result, it proved adequate and superior to the two-Kingdom categorization.

Other Courses

  • Chemistry (14)
  • Maths (21)
  • Physics (15)

Related Chapters

  • ChapterBiology
    201
    Diversity of Living Organisms
  • ChapterBiology
    202
    Structural Organisation in Plants and Animals
  • ChapterBiology
    203
    Cell: Structure and Function
  • ChapterBiology
    204
    Plant physiology
  • ChapterBiology
    205
    Human Physiology
  • ChapterBiology
    16
    Digestion and Absorption
  • ChapterBiology
    17
    Breathing and Exchange of Gases
  • ChapterBiology
    1
    The Living World
  • ChapterBiology
    18
    Body Fluids and Circulation
  • ChapterBiology
    19
    Excretory Products and their Elimination
  • ChapterBiology
    20
    Locomotion and Movement
  • ChapterBiology
    3
    Plant Kingdom
  • ChapterBiology
    21
    Neural Control And Coordination
  • ChapterBiology
    22
    Chemical Coordination and Integration
  • ChapterBiology
    4
    Animal Kingdom
  • ChapterBiology
    5
    Morphology of Flowering Plants
  • ChapterBiology
    6
    Anatomy of Flowering Plants
  • ChapterBiology
    7
    Structural Organisation in Animals
  • ChapterBiology
    8
    Cell The Unit of Life
  • ChapterBiology
    9
    Biomolecules
  • ChapterBiology
    10
    Cell Cycle and Cell Division
  • ChapterBiology
    11
    Transport in Plants
  • ChapterBiology
    12
    Mineral Nutrition
  • ChapterBiology
    13
    Photosynthesis in Higher Plants
  • ChapterBiology
    15
    Plant Growth and Development
  • ChapterBiology
    14
    Respiration in Plants