Characteristics of Five Kingdom Classification
R.H. Whittaker (1969) proposed five kingdom classification. He divided organisms into kingdom Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia, on the basis of following criteria:
- Cell structure (either prokaryotic or eukaryotic)
- Thallus organisation (body differentiated or not)
- Mode of nutrition (autotrophic or heterotrophic)
- Reproduction
- Phylogenetic (or evolutionary) relationship
Characteristics
| Characters / Kingdom | Monera | Protista | Fungi | Plantae | Animalia |
| Cell type | Prokaryotic | Eukaryotic | Eukaryotic | Euakryotic | Eukaryotic |
| Cell wall | Non-cellulosic (Polysaccharides + amino acids) | Present in some | Present (without cellulose) | Present (cellulose) | Absent |
| Nuclear membrane | Absent | Present | Present | Present | Present |
| Body organisation | Cellular | Cellular | Multicellular / loose tissue | Tissue / organ | Tissue / organ / organ system |
| Mode of nutrition | Autotrophic (chemosynthetic and photosynthetic) and Heterotrophic (saprophytic / parasite) | Autotrophic (Photosynthetic) and Heterotrophic | Heterotrophic (saprophytic / parasite) | Autotrophic (Photosynthetic) | Heterotrophic (Holozoic etc.) |