BIOLOGY: FORM TWO: Topic 1 – CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS

General features of kingdom fungi

1. Fungi are found in damp or wet places
2. They have eukaryotic cells with a rigid protective wall made of chiti
3. They are heterotrophs, some are saprophytic where others are parasitic
4. They store food as glycogen
5. They reproduce using spore
6. They are non-mobile

Distinctive features of kingdom fungi

1. They have chitin in their cell wall
2. They have septate

Phyla of the kingdom fungi

1. Ascomycota
2. Zygomycota
3. Basidiomycota

Ascomycota

Ascomycota are also called sae fungi. They produce spore in sae-like cell called asei. These spores are called ascopores. Examples of Ascomycota are bakers’ yeast, cup fungi and ring worm fungi.

Characteristics of phyla Ascomycota

1. Their cell wall is not made by chitin but cetin polysaccharide component of phosphoric acid
2. Have granulated cytoplasm
3. Store food in form of glycogen
4. Reproduce asexually by budding and sexually by means of ascospores.

Distinctive features

1. Reproduce sexually by means of ascospores

Mosses are small, soft plants called bryophytes, that are typically 1–10 cm (0.4–4 in) tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems. At certain times mosses produce spore capsules which may appear as beak-like capsules borne aloft on thin stalks.

On the advantage side, it can help to hold the bonsai soilin place and prevent it from washing out of the container. Moss can increase the water retention capability of the soil by slowing evaporation.

On the disadvantage side, a thick carpet of moss can reduce the diffusion of gases into the soil and to the roots, which can result in root rotor poor drainage conditions. Moss can grow up onto the surface roots and trunk of your bonsai, and soften their bark, promoting its decay.

This division was formerly called Pteridophyta. The division Filicinpphyta includes a group of primitive vascular plants. The adult plant body in these plants is a sporophyte. It shows differentiation into true roots, stems and leaves. The stem is mostly herbaceous. Leaves may be smaller or larger. Vascular tissues are present in all the vegetative parts of the plant body.

Characteristics of division Filicinophyta

Ferns are intermediate in complexity between the more primitive bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and the more advanced seed plants. Like bryophytes, ferns reproduce sexually by making spores rather than seeds. Most ferns produce spores on the underside or margin of their leaves. Like seed plants, ferns have stems with a vascular system for efficient transport of water and food. Ferns also have leaves, known technically as megaphylls, with a complex system of branched veins.

In general, ferns consist of the following structures:

Fronds

Rhizomes

Sporangia

Spores

Advantages of ferns

1. Some ferns are edible and hence serve as a source of food.
2. They provide nutrients to the soil to improve soil fertility.
3. They cover the soil and prevent soil erosion.
4. They are used as decoration materials.

Disadvantages of ferns

1. They harbour dangerous organisms like snakes and insects.
2. Some ferns are poisonous when eaten.