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Diversity In Living Organisms

Diversity in living organisms can be experienced everywhere on earth. The warm and humid regions of the earth are highly diverse and are called the region of mega biodiversity.
authorImageJasdeep Bhatia3 Apr, 2024
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Diversity In Living Organisms

Diversity In Living Organisms: Numerous living things, which differ in size, shape, nourishment, reproduction, habitat, and many other factors, have been endowed upon our globe. These animals of the Kingdom Animal are divided into many orders and classes according to their physical characteristics and environment.

The term "diversity in living organisms" refers to the diversity in the traits of Earth's life forms. The diversity of genes, animals, and ecosystems is a part of this variance. For ecosystems to remain stable, diversity is essential. However, if every component of an ecosystem is the same, it wouldn't be able to adjust to environmental changes. So, this can result in the extinction of certain species within the ecosystem.

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Introduction

On Earth, there are various forms of life. The answer is unfathomable regarding the many living things in the world. This is the case because, ever since the beginning of life, a wide variety of organisms have been continuously changing into new varieties. Different levels of diversity exist, including genetic, species, and ecological diversity. In India, mango alone has over 10,000 different types. This single illustration highlights the size and diversity of living things. It is hard to learn anything about this vast diversity without identifying them. As a result, categorisation becomes a crucial step in studying many earthly organisms.

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Biological Classification

An organism is categorised and grouped using a biological classification system based on how similar its physical and genetic characteristics are. Because the system is hierarchical, organisms are first categorized into broader categories and subdivided into smaller, more specialised groups. Kingdom, phylum, and species are the three primary tiers of the biological classification scheme.
  • The biggest and broadest classifications for organising organisms are called kingdoms.
  • Kingdoms are subdivided into phyla, which are collections of species with a similar physical trait, like a backbone.
  • Classes are divisions of phyla, which are collections of creatures with a common genetic trait, such as possessing two sets of chromosomes.
  • Orders, which are collections of organisms with a similar trait, such as the capacity to lay eggs, are subdivided into classes.
  • Families, which are collections of organisms with a similar trait, such as the capacity to generate sperm, are a subset of orders.
  • Families are subdivided into genera, which are collections of organisms with a similar trait, such as a particular skeleton type. The smallest and most specialised classifications, species, are subdivided into genera.
Depending on how much information is available about an organism, it can be categorised at any system level. For instance, if the kingdom is known, the organism is categorised as a kingdom-level organism. When the species and genus are identified, the organism is categorised at the species level.

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Classification System

To group things into categories, use the categorisation system. You can do this with anything, including plants, animals, and even rocks. As a result, grouping items according to their species is the most popular method. This implies that all members of a group share the traits. For instance, Panthera leo is the scientific name for all lions.

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Two Kingdom Classification

All organisms were divided into Plantae and Animalia by Carolus Linnaeus, who also proposed the two-kingdom classification method. According to this method of classification, all organisms that possessed a cell wall within them were classified in the Plantae group, while the remainder were placed in the Animalia group. Plantae is made up of bacteria, fungi, and plants. Even though they were all so distinct from one another, they were all classified as belonging to two kingdoms. Prokaryotes and eukaryotes were not distinguished from one another. This classification scheme was incorrect, although it undoubtedly aided in developing a better scheme.

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Five Kingdom Classification

R.H. Whittaker suggested dividing the world into five kingdoms. The world accepts and corrects this categorisation. Various factors, such as cell type, cell quantity, cell structure, nutrition, etc., were considered to create this model.

It consists of 5 kingdoms or groupings:

  • Monera
  • Protista
  • Fungi
  • Plantae
  • Animalia

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Features of the Five Kingdom

1. Kingdom Monera

  • Prokaryotic cells are found in unicellular creatures that belong to this kingdom.
  • Among them are bacteria, cyanobacteria, etc.
  • Usually, their cell has a cell wall.
  • They could be either heterotrophic or autotrophic.

2. Kingdom Protista

  • Eukaryotic cells are found in certain creatures in this kingdom that are unicellular as well.
  • They could be heterotrophic or photosynthetic.
  • They could have cilia and flagella, for example.
  • Amoeba, Paramecium, Euglena, etc., are a few examples.

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3. Kingdom Fungi

  • The first kingdom to have multicellular organisms is this one.
  • They have a saprotrophic mode of nutrition, which is a form of heterotrophic feeding.
  • They possess eukaryotic cells with chitin-based cell walls.
  • For instance, yeast with mushrooms

4. Kingdom Plantae

  • All living things are multicellular and eukaryotic.
  • It is possible to think of the body as being divided into higher groupings.
  • They have an autotrophic method of feeding and are photosynthetic. Certain members have some heterotrophic processes.
  • Their cell wall is composed of cellulose.
  • Mango trees, crimson algae, and other examples.

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5. Kingdom Animalia

  • Every member is multicellular and eukaryotic.
  • They have cells without a cell wall.
  • Heterotrophs describe them.
  • For instance, a lion, dog, fish, etc.

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Classification And Evolution

Evolution and organism classification are tightly intertwined. The modifications accumulated over time in an organism's body plan for improved survival are known as evolution. Charles Darwin initially introduced the concept of evolution in his book "The Origin of Species", published in 1859. The following conclusions are made when evolution is linked to classification:
  • The term "lower" or "primitive" refers to organisms that have an ancient body form and don't appear to have changed much over time.
  • Organisms that have recently developed their specific body designs are said to be "higher" or "advanced."
  • But since these labels are ineffective for categorising organisms, we instead use phrases like "younger" and "older" organisms because it's possible to see changes over time due to an increase in the complexity of body designs. Consequently, we can sum up by saying that older creatures are less complex than younger species.

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Diversity In Living Organisms <span style=

What does diversity in living things mean?

On our globe, there are creatures of diverse sizes and shapes. The largest Phylum in the animal kingdom alone has more than a million species. There are several varieties of plants, ranging in size from microscopic grasses to enormous Eucalyptus trees. The diversity of living things is referred to as diversity.

Why is the diversity of living things crucial?

A species cannot adapt to changes in its environment without genetic variety.The variety of species present in an ecosystem is known as species diversity. A group of organisms known as a species can interbreed and give birth to viable offspring.

How is the diversity of living things beneficial?

By continuing the food chains, this creatures' diversity contributes to preserving the ecological balance. Additionally, they aid in the survival and nourishment of one another, as well as the provision of food and shelter to many organisms, which helps to enrich the environment.

What are the origins of organism diversity?

The variety of all living things (biota), among other things, is influenced by climate, precipitation, height, soils, geography, and the existence of other species. Biogeography is the scientific study of the spatial distribution of organisms, species, and ecosystems.

What kingdom contains the widest variety of organisms?

Kingdom Protista, which includes a variety of unicellular and multicellular eukaryotic species, is regarded as the most varied kingdom.
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