Cheat sheet · NEET Preparation Botany
Biological Classification cheat sheet
The whole chapter on one page: key formulas, facts and the points to remember, for quick revision before a test.
NEET · Botany
Cheat sheet
Class 11 · Chapter 2Biological Classification
Whittaker's five kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia.
1. Five Kingdom Classification (Whittaker, 1969)
| Kingdom | Cell type | Body | Nutrition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monera | prokaryotic | unicellular | auto/heterotrophic |
| Protista | eukaryotic | unicellular | auto/heterotrophic |
| Fungi | eukaryotic | multicellular (mostly) | heterotrophic, chitin wall |
| Plantae | eukaryotic | multicellular | autotrophic, cellulose wall |
| Animalia | eukaryotic | multicellular | heterotrophic, no wall |
2. Monera
- Archaebacteria: extreme habitats — halophiles, thermoacidophiles, methanogens (biogas).
- Eubacteria: true bacteria; cyanobacteria (Nostoc, Anabaena) fix N₂ in heterocysts.
- Mycoplasma: no cell wall, smallest living cells.
3. Protista
- Chrysophytes (diatoms — diatomaceous earth), dinoflagellates (red tides), euglenoids (pellicle).
- Slime moulds: saprophytic, form plasmodium.
- Protozoans: amoeboid, flagellated (Trypanosoma), ciliated (Paramoecium), sporozoans (Plasmodium).
4. Fungi
| Class | Example | Spores |
|---|---|---|
| Phycomycetes | Rhizopus, Albugo | zoospores / aplanospores |
| Ascomycetes | Penicillium, yeast | ascospores |
| Basidiomycetes | Agaricus, Ustilago | basidiospores |
| Deuteromycetes | Alternaria, Trichoderma | conidia only (no sexual stage) |
5. Viruses, Viroids, Lichens
- Virus: nucleoprotein, inert outside host; TMV (RNA), bacteriophage (DNA).
- Viroids: free RNA, no protein coat (potato spindle tuber).
- Lichens: algae + fungi symbiosis; pollution indicators.
6. Key Points
- Ivanowsky discovered viruses; Beijerinck called it ‘contagium vivum fluidum’.
- Prions: infectious proteins (mad cow disease).
- Mycorrhiza: fungus + plant root.
- Two-kingdom system by Linnaeus.
Remember: 5 kingdoms table | archaea vs eubacteria | 4 fungi classes
Biological Classification: questions and notes
More NEET Preparation Botany cheat sheets
- The Living World
- Biological Classification
- Plant Kingdom
- Morphology of Flowering Plants
- Anatomy of Flowering Plants
- Cell: The Unit of Life
- Cell Cycle and Cell Division
- Photosynthesis in Higher Plants
- Respiration in Plants
- Plant Growth and Development
- Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
- Principles of Inheritance and Variation
- Molecular Basis of Inheritance
- Microbes in Human Welfare
- Organisms and Populations
- Ecosystem
- Biodiversity and Conservation
Practise Biological Classification
Sign up free to practise the full chapter. Questions you get wrong come back until you've mastered them.
Start practising freeFree to start · No credit card needed