The 6 kingdoms of nature and their characteristics

Living beings are currently classified into six different kingdoms of nature:

• animalia (animals),
• plant (plants),
• fungi (mushrooms),
• protist (protozoa),
• bacterium (bacteria) and
• archaea (arches).

In the past, living organisms were classified into five kingdoms: animals, plants, fungi, protozoa, and bacteria. With the implementation of molecular techniques it was discovered that archaea (classified as bacteria) are actually more similar to eukaryotes despite being prokaryotes.

Kingdom Animalia (animals)

Domain: Eukarya.

Cell type: eukaryotic animal cell, absence of chloroplasts and cell wall.

Cell organization: multicellular.

Nutrition: heterotrophs.

Reproduction: sexual.

Examples: humans, bees, worms, corals, fish.

Kingdom Plantae (plants)

Domain: Eukarya.

Cell type: eukaryotic plant cell; chloroplasts and cellulose cell wall present.

Cell organization: multicellular.

Nutrition: autotrophs.

Reproduction: sexual and asexual.

Examples: pines, grasses, cereals, shrubs.

You may be interested in knowing about animal cells and plant cells.

Kingdom Fungi (mushrooms)

Domain: Eukarya.

Cell type: eukaryotic cell; absence of chloroplasts, presence of chitin cell wall.

Cell organization: unicellular / multicellular.

Nutrition: heterotrophs.

Reproduction: asexual and sexual.

Examples: yeast, mold, fungus.

Kingdom Protista (protozoa)

Domain: Eukarya.

Cell type: eukaryotic cell;

Cell organization: mostly unicellular.

Nutrition: heterotrophs / autotrophs.

Reproduction: mainly asexual.

Examples: protozoa, amoebas.

Know the difference between:

• Autotrophs and heterotrophs
• Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell.

Kingdom Archaea (arches)

Domain: Archaea.

Cell type: prokaryotic cell (without nucleus) and with cell wall without peptidoglycan.

Cell organization: unicellular.

Nutrition: autotrophs / heterotrophs.

Reproduction: by binary fission.

Examples: methanogens, thermophiles.

You may be interested in knowing the differences between Archaea and bacteria.

Kingdom Bacterium (bacteria)

Domain: Bacterium.

Cell type: prokaryotic cell (without nucleus) and with a peptidoglycan cell wall.

Cell organization: unicellular, colony formation.

Nutrition: autotrophs / heterotrophs.

Reproduction: by binary fission.

Examples: Enterobacteriaceae, staphylococci, streptococci.

Learn more about Classification of living things.

Doctor in Biochemistry from the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC), with a degree in Bioanalysis from the Central University of Venezuela.