Kingdoms of Life - Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protoctists, Bacteria and Viruses #1

Summary

This video explores the key features and differences among animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, and viruses. It highlights that viruses are not living organisms and do not belong to any kingdom of life. The video also distinguishes between eukaryotic (animals, plants, fungi, protists) and prokaryotic (bacteria) organisms, explaining their cellular structures and nutritional methods.

Takeaways

• 🌿 The video discusses the key features and differences among animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, and viruses, aiming to provide an overview rather than detailed memorization.
• 🔬 Excluding viruses, the other five groups (animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria) are categorized into the five kingdoms of life.
• 🦠 Viruses are considered distinct as they are not living organisms and do not belong to any of the kingdoms of life.
• 🌳 Animals, plants, fungi, and protists are eukaryotes, characterized by cells with a nucleus and DNA in the form of chromosomes.
• 🦠 Bacteria are prokaryotes, lacking a nucleus and having DNA that is not enclosed in a nucleus.
• 🐇 Animals are multicellular, heterotrophic, and mostly reproduce sexually, with an estimated 5 to 10 million species on Earth.
• 🌳 Plants are multicellular autotrophs that use photosynthesis to obtain energy from the sun, with around 300,000 species.
• 🍄 Fungi can be either multicellular or unicellular and are heterotrophic, obtaining energy from other organisms through saprotrophic nutrition.
• 🦠 Protists are mostly unicellular and show a wide variety, with some capable of photosynthesis and others being heterotrophic.
• 🌐 Bacteria are single-celled organisms found everywhere, with a vast number of species, many of which are beneficial, while some can be pathogenic.
• 🦠 Viruses are extremely small particles that are not cells, and they can only reproduce by infecting living cells, making them parasites and always pathogenic.

Q & A

What are the five kingdoms of life, excluding viruses?

The five kingdoms of life, excluding viruses, are animals, plants, fungi, protists, and bacteria.

Why are viruses not considered living organisms and not part of the kingdoms of life?

Viruses are not considered living organisms because they lack the ability to carry out essential life processes on their own. They cannot reproduce or metabolize without infecting a host cell, which disqualifies them from being part of the kingdoms of life.

What is the main difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells?

Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus where their DNA is contained, and their DNA is in the form of chromosomes. Prokaryotic cells, on the other hand, do not have a nucleus; their DNA is loose in the cell and not organized into chromosomes.

How do animals obtain their energy?

Animals are heterotrophs, meaning they obtain their energy by consuming other organisms, such as plants or other animals.

What is the primary way plants get their energy?

Plants are autotrophs and primarily obtain their energy through the process of photosynthesis, using sunlight.

How do fungi differ from plants in terms of energy acquisition?

Unlike plants, fungi cannot photosynthesize. They are heterotrophs and get their energy from other organisms by secreting digestive enzymes to break down food outside their bodies and absorbing the nutrients.

What is the term used to describe the feeding method of most fungi?

Most fungi feed using saprotrophic nutrition, where they secrete enzymes to break down food externally and then absorb the nutrients.

What is the basic structure of a virus?

A virus typically has a protein coat, known as a capsid, surrounding its genetic material, which can be either DNA or RNA.

How do viruses reproduce?

Viruses can only reproduce by infecting living cells of other organisms, using the host's cellular machinery to replicate their genetic material and produce new virus particles.

What is the relationship between protists and humans?

Most protists have no direct impact on humans, but some can be pathogens, causing diseases such as malaria.

How do bacteria differ from other kingdoms in terms of species diversity?

Scientists believe there are likely more species of bacteria than all other kingdoms combined, indicating a high level of diversity within this group.

Outlines

00:00

🐾 Kingdoms of Life: Overview and Key Features

This paragraph introduces the main focus of the video, which is to explore the key features and differences among various life forms such as animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, and viruses. It emphasizes that, excluding viruses, these groups fall into the five kingdoms of life. Viruses are noted as unique entities that are not considered living organisms and thus do not belong to any kingdom. The paragraph also highlights the distinction between eukaryotic organisms (animals, plants, fungi, and protists) and prokaryotic organisms (bacteria), detailing the cellular differences such as the presence of a nucleus and the form of DNA. The size comparison between these organisms and viruses is also mentioned, setting the stage for a deeper dive into each group.

05:02

🌿 Diving Deeper into the Characteristics of Each Life Form

This paragraph delves into the specifics of each life form mentioned. It starts with animals, highlighting their multicellular nature, heterotrophic lifestyle, and sexual reproduction. The vast number of animal species is acknowledged, ranging from humans to insects. Moving on to plants, the paragraph notes their autotrophic nature, ability to photosynthesize, and multicellular structure. Fungi are then discussed, with a focus on their heterotrophic nature and saprotrophic nutrition, where they secrete enzymes to break down food externally. The unique structure of fungi, including the mycelium and hyphae, is also mentioned. Protists are described as mostly unicellular organisms with a wide variety, some capable of photosynthesis and others that consume other organisms. Bacteria are characterized as single-celled organisms that can be found almost everywhere, with some capable of photosynthesis and others feeding off living or dead organisms. The paragraph concludes with viruses, emphasizing their non-cellular nature, small size, and dependence on host cells for reproduction, classifying them as parasites. Examples of various viruses and their effects on different organisms are provided.

Keywords

💡Eukaryotes

Eukaryotes are organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. In the context of the video, animals, plants, fungi, and protists are all eukaryotes. This means their DNA is organized into chromosomes and housed within a nucleus. This is a key distinction from prokaryotes, such as bacteria, which do not have a nucleus and have their DNA in a less organized form within the cell.

💡Prokaryotes

Prokaryotes are organisms that lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles in their cells. The video specifically mentions bacteria as prokaryotes. Their DNA is not contained within a nucleus but is instead found in a region called the nucleoid. This is a fundamental difference from eukaryotes, highlighting the diversity in cellular structure among living organisms.

💡Multicellular

Multicellular organisms are those composed of many cells. The video uses this term to describe animals and plants, indicating that they are made up of numerous cells working together. This is in contrast to unicellular organisms like bacteria and many protists, which consist of a single cell. Multicellular organisms can be more complex and diverse in their functions and structures.

💡Heterotrophs

Heterotrophs are organisms that cannot produce their own food and must obtain energy by consuming other organisms. The video mentions that animals are heterotrophs, meaning they need to eat plants or other animals to get the energy they need. This is a key aspect of their biology and is central to understanding their ecological roles and interactions.

💡Autotrophs

Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own food using inorganic substances, typically through photosynthesis. The video points out that plants are autotrophs, as they use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose, providing them with energy. This ability is crucial for their survival and is a defining characteristic of the plant kingdom.

💡Fungi

Fungi are a diverse group of organisms that can be either unicellular or multicellular. The video highlights that fungi, unlike plants, cannot photosynthesize and are heterotrophs. They obtain nutrients through saprotrophic nutrition, where they secrete enzymes to break down external food and then absorb the nutrients. This process is essential for understanding how fungi interact with their environment and other organisms.

💡Protists

Protists are a diverse group of mostly unicellular eukaryotic organisms. The video explains that protists can vary widely in their characteristics, with some being photosynthetic like plants and others being more animal-like and consuming other organisms. Their diversity and the fact that some can be pathogens, such as the species causing malaria, make them an important group to understand in the context of the broader biological world.

💡Bacteria

Bacteria are single-celled prokaryotic organisms that are ubiquitous in the environment. The video notes that bacteria can be found almost everywhere, including on human skin and in the intestines. While some bacteria can photosynthesize, most are heterotrophs that feed off other organisms. The video also mentions that bacteria can be both harmful, causing diseases like food poisoning, and beneficial, aiding in digestion.

💡Viruses

Viruses are extremely small infectious agents that are not considered living organisms. The video emphasizes that viruses are particles that require a host cell to replicate. They have a protein coat that encases their genetic material, which can be either DNA or RNA. Viruses are parasites that infect and use the cellular machinery of other organisms, often causing harm, as seen with viruses like influenza and HIV.

💡Mycelium

Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a network of fine white filaments called hyphae. The video mentions mycelium in the context of multicellular fungi, explaining that it is made up of numerous thread-like structures. This is a key structural feature of many fungi and is crucial for their growth and nutrient absorption.

💡Saprotrophic Nutrition

Saprotrophic nutrition is a mode of nutrition where organisms secrete enzymes to break down dead organic material externally and then absorb the nutrients. The video uses this term to describe how many fungi obtain their food, highlighting that they do not photosynthesize and instead rely on breaking down external substances for their energy needs.

Highlights

The video discusses key features and differences between animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, and viruses.

Excluding viruses, the other five groups are part of the five kingdoms of life.

Viruses are not considered living organisms and thus are not part of any kingdom of life.

Animals, plants, fungi, and protists are eukaryotes with DNA in the form of chromosomes and a nucleus.

Bacteria are prokaryotes without a nucleus, and their DNA is loose in the cell.

Bacteria are smaller than eukaryotic cells, and viruses are even smaller than bacteria.

There are an estimated 5 to 10 million different species of animals on Earth.

Animals are multicellular, heterotrophic, and mostly reproduce sexually.

Plants are multicellular autotrophs that get their energy from the sun through photosynthesis.

Fungi can be multicellular or unicellular and are heterotrophs that feed via saprotrophic nutrition.

Some fungi have a body called a mycelium made up of thread-like structures called hyphae.

Protists are mostly unicellular and can be autotrophic or heterotrophic.

Some protists can cause diseases in humans, such as malaria.

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that live everywhere, including on human skin and in intestines.

Most bacteria feed off other organisms, and some can cause diseases, while others are beneficial.

Viruses are super tiny particles that are not considered cells and are not living.

Viruses have a protein coat surrounding genetic material and can only reproduce inside living cells.

All viruses are considered pathogens as they cause harm to the organisms they infect.

Examples of viruses include the influenza virus, tobacco mosaic virus, HIV, and COVID-19.

Transcripts

in today's video we're going to take a

look at the key features and differences

between animals plants fungi protocols

bacteria and

viruses and the aim of this video is to

give you an overview of what they all

are

so don't worry about remembering

everything i just want you to understand

what makes them all different

if we exclude viruses for a second these

other five groups are the five kingdoms

of life

so almost all living organisms will be

in one of these five groups

viruses though are the odd one out

because as we'll see later they're not

actually living organisms so aren't in

any of the kingdoms of life

the other thing that i want to point out

before we go through each of them

individually

is that these four

animals plants fungi and protractivists

are all eukaryotes

or eukaryotic organisms

this means they're made up of eukaryotic

cells which have certain things in

common

like the fact that their dna is in the

form of chromosomes

or that their dna is found in a nucleus

on the other hand bacteria are classed

as prokaryotes

so we sometimes call them prokaryotic

organisms

and they don't have a nucleus

their dna is just loose in a cell

they're also between 10 and 100 times

smaller than eukaryotic cells

and remember viruses don't count as

organisms so they don't get classed as

eukaryotic or prokaryotic

but for perspective they're another 10

to 100 times smaller than prokaryotic

cells

so let's now run through all of these

groups one by one starting with animals

you probably know this kingdom pretty

well already so there's not too much to

say

although we don't know for sure our best

estimate is that there's somewhere

between 5 and 10 million different

species of animals on earth

ranging from humans

to chickens to ladybirds to lionfish

what all animals have in common though

is that they're

multicellular they're heterotrophs

and most of them reproduce sexually

the term multicellular just means that

each individual organism is made up of

loads of cells rather than just one

for example it's thought that an adult

human is made up of around 40 trillion

cells

meanwhile heterotrophs just means that

animals have to get their energy from

other organisms

for example we have to eat plants or

other animals in order to get the energy

that we need

moving on to plants this kingdom is

pretty familiar as well and probably

includes around three 300 000 species

ranging from redwood trees to bee

orchids to tomato plants to water lilies

like animals plants are multicellular so

they're made up of lots of different

cells

but importantly they are autotrophs

rather than heterotrophs

this means that they get their energy

from the sun using photosynthesis

rather than by consuming other organisms

next up we have fungi which are a bit

harder to explain

some fungi like the mushrooms that you

might eat or the molds that can spoil

your food

are multi-solar organisms but other

fungi like the yeast that we use for

baking bread are unicellular which means

single celled so each cell is its own

organism

although some fungi look a bit like

plants a key difference is that fungi

can't photosynthesize

instead they have to get their energy

from other organisms like animals do

so they count as heterotrophs

weirdly though we often refer to fungi

as saprotrophs instead

because most fungi feed using

saprotrophic nutrition

this is a process whereby they secrete

digestive enzymes onto some food outside

of their

body wait for the enzymes to break down

the food

and then absorb the broken down

nutrients back into their body

so they're basically doing digestion

outside of their body

another key feature of fungi is that

some of the multi-solar ones have a body

called a mycelium

which is made up of loads of little

thread-like structures called hyphae

so just remember that loads of hyphae

together make up a mycelium

another thing to note is that although

it's pretty rare some fungi can be

considered pathogens

which means they can cause disease in

humans

for example it's a fungus that causes

athlete's foot

if you move on to protractists

the first thing that i want to clarify

here is that the terms protractists

protractista

protists and protester

all mean basically the same thing

so don't worry about which word you use

they all refer to the same in kingdom of

organisms

but for this video i'll use the term

protocolists

nearly all predoctors are unicellular so

single-celled organisms

but there's still a huge amount of

variety between the different species

for example some species like chlorella

or euglena are a bit like plant cells in

that they have chloroplasts which allow

them to photosynthesize

whereas other species like amoeba are

more like animal cells and have to

consume other organisms to get their

energy

last point to mention is that most

protocols have nothing to do with humans

but a few of them do count as pathogens

and can cause disease

for example the species plasmodium is a

thing that causes malaria

next we have bacteria which we'll be

coming back to in other videos because

there's loads of interesting stuff to

know about them

but for the basics

these are single-celled organisms

that live just about everywhere you can

imagine

including on your skin and in your

intestines

although some species of bacteria can

photosynthesize

and none of them have

chloroplasts and most of them feed off

other organisms

either living organisms like ourselves

or dead ones like fallen leaves

scientists think that there are probably

way more species of bacteria than all of

the other kingdoms combined

and although a few of them can cause

disease like salmonella which can cause

food poisoning

most of them don't have anything to do

with humans

and many others are actually really

helpful like the bacteria in our

intestines which help us to digest our

food

lastly we have viruses which are

basically super tiny particles

it's actually really hard to imagine

just how small the viruses are

but to give you a reference you'd be

able to fit almost a million of them

across the width of a single fingernail

now we call them particles because they

don't count as cells

and remember they're not living at all

viruses come in loads of different

shapes and sizes

so it's hard to be too specific but

their basic structure involves a protein

coat around the outside

surrounding some genetic material on the

inside which could be dna or rna

the main thing to remember about viruses

is that they can only reproduce inside

living cells

so they have to infect other organisms

like animals plants protocols fungi or

bacteria

and use their cells to replicate

because of this we call them parasites

which just means that they depend on

another organism to grow and reproduce

for example they can't reproduce without

infecting something like an animal or

bacteria

one last thing to add is that unlike the

other groups that we've seen so far

all viruses can be thought of as

pathogens

because they always cause harm to the

other living organisms when they use

their cells to reproduce

a few examples of viruses include the

influenza virus which causes influenza

tobacco mosaic virus which affects

tobacco and tomato plants

hiv which can cause aids

and of course covet 19.

anyway that's everything for today's

video

so i hope that was helpful for you

as i said at the beginning the main

thing i wanted you to take away from

this is just a general understanding of

the differences between these different

groups of organisms

there was a lot of detail here and the

important thing wasn't remembering at

all but just getting that sense of what

they are

so if you did find it helpful please do

give us a like and subscribe because it

really helps us grow

and we'll see you again soon

you