Animal Kingdom

Page 1

Intro to K. Animalia

Intro :

Animals are multicellular eukaryotic organisms that form the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, reproduce sexually, and grow from a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development. Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described—of which around 1 million are insects—but it has been estimated there are over 7 million animal species in total. Animals range in length from 8.5 millionths of a metre to 33.6 metres (110 ft) and have complex interactions with each other and their environments, forming intricate food webs. The study of animals is called zoology.

Kingdom Animalia consists of organisms that range from the simplest of the animal forms to the most complex. At one end of this classification of animals, you have the microscopic organisms. And at the other end, you see animals that you probably come across in your daily life. You and your friends, for example, are members of the Animal Kingdom. Your pet dog, bird, cat or even those pesky insects that you find in the gardens are all part of this gigantic kingdom.

Scientifically speaking, all organisms that belong to this Kingdom are Eukaryotic organisms. They are all multicellular, with many cells present. The cells do not have cell walls in them. Another important feature is that they have a heterotrophic mode of nutrition, which means that they cannot make their own food.

Taxonomy : Taxonomy (general) is the practice and science of classification of things or concepts, including the principles that underlie such classification.

Taxonomy (biology), a branch of science that encompasses the description, identification, nomenclature, and classification of organisms

Alpha taxonomy, the description and basic classification of new species, subspecies, and other taxa

Linnaean taxonomy meaning either of:

the original classification scheme of Carl Linnaeus

rank-based scientific classification as opposed to clade-based classification

Evolutionary taxonomy, traditional post-Darwinian hierarchical biological classification

Numerical taxonomy, a taxonomic method employing numeric algorithms

Phenetics, a system for ordering species based on overall similarities

Phylogenetics, based on characteristics derived from shared descent from common ancestors

Virus classification, a system that places viruses in a taxonomic system ............. other info is in different note of botany.

Classification :

Classification of animals is termed as Kingdom Animalia. It is further divided into different phyla. These are nothing but divisions in which animals/organisms with the same characteristics are included under them. Apart from the primary distinguishing features of the Animal Kingdom (Eukaryotic, Multicellular, without a cell wall and heterotrophic); each phylum has organisms that have common characteristics. In the classification of animals chart, they move from the simplest to the most complex.

The different phyla in the classification of animals are as follows:

Phylum Porifera

Phylum Coelenterata

Phylum Platyhelminthes

Phylum Nematoda

Phylum Annelida

Phylum Arthropoda

Phylum Mollusca

Phylum Echinodermata

Phylum Protochordata

Phylum Vertebrata

Part one is completed """''' >.<"\

Page 2

Basis of Classification

Level of organisation :

Page 3

Classification of Animals:

Phylum: Protoza