Crash Course for NEET 2020

KEY NOTES ON BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION

Biomentors Classes Online, Mumbai
NCERT Based : Very Important Points
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1. ARISTOTLE:
o First scientific approach to classify the organisms
o Used simple morphological characters
o Classify the plant into herb, shrub & tree.
o Classified animals on the basis of presence / absence of Red blood

2. LINNEAUS:
o TWO KINGDOM CLASSIFICATION à PLANTAE and ANIMALIA.
o This system did not clear the position of unicellular/multicellular,
prokaryotic/eukaryotic organisms.

3. R. H. WHITTAKER:
o Five kingdom classification in 1969 (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)

o Basis of 5 Kingdom à Five Criteria

§ Cell structure,
§ Thallus organisation,
§ Mode of nutrition,
§ Reproduction and
§ Phylogenetic relationships.
 o The five kingdoms are :
§ Monera
§ Protista
§ Fungi
§ Plantae
§ Animalia.
4. MONERA :
o Prokaryotic,
o Cellular body organisation,

o Non- cellulosic cell wall (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o Mode of nutrition is autotrophic and heterotrophic.
@Highest diversity
o Cell wall is made up of polysaccharides and amino acids.
@ Peptidoglycan
o Members of the Kingdom Monera à Bacteria
o Most abundant micro-organisms
o Bacteria are grouped under four categories based on their
shape:
§ Coccus à Spherical.
§ Bacillus à Rod shape.
§ Vibrio à Comma shape.
§ Spirillum à Spiral.
o Bacteria as a group show the most extensive metabolic diversity

5. ARCHAEBACTERIA
o They live in some of the most harsh habitats.
§ Halophiles à Salty area.
§ Thermoacidophilesà Hot springs.
§ Methanogens à Marshy area
 o Methanogens are present in the gut of several ruminant
animals such as cows and buffaloes and they are
responsible for the production of methane (biogas) from
the dung of these animals.
o Archaebacteria differ from other bacteria
§ In having a different cell wall structure à This
feature is responsible for their survival in extreme
conditions.
6. EUBACTERIA

o True bacteria. (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)

o Characterised by the presence of a rigid cell wall
o If motile, have a flagellum

7. CYANOBACTERIA
o Blue green algae
o Have Chlorophyll - a (similar to higher plants) and are
autotrophic.
o Present in fresh water/ marine water as well as on land
(terrestrial).
o The colonies are generally surrounded by gelatinous sheath.
o They often form blooms in polluted water bodies.

o
8. CHEMOSYNTHETIC AUTOTROPHIC BACTERIA oxidise various inorganic substances such as
nitrates, nitrites and ammonia and use the released energy for their ATP production.
9. Cyanobacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen in specialised cells called HETEROCYST, e.g.,
Nostoc and Anabaena
10. Bacteria play a great role in RECYCLING NUTRIENTS
11. Heterotrophic bacteria are the most abundant in nature.
12. Majority of heterotrophic bacteria are important
DECOMPOSERS. (
13. Heterotrophic bacteria play significant role in human life.
o They are helpful in making curd from milk,
production of antibiotics, fixing nitrogen in
legume roots.
o Cholera, typhoid, tetanus, citrus canker are well
known diseases caused by different
heterotrophic bacteria.
14. Bacteria reproduce mainly through (fission in favourable
condition), by spores (during unfavourable
condition).
15. THE MYCOPLASMA.
o They completely lack a cell wall.
o They are the smallest living cells known
and can survive without oxygen.
o Many mycoplasmas are pathogenic in
animals and plants.
16. KINGDOM: PROTISTA.
o Unicellular eukaryotes.
o Cell wall present or absent.
o Cellular body organization.
o Autotrophic or Heterotrophic.
o Kingdom Protista includes all unicelled eukaryotes

o Members of Protista are primarily aquatic. (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o Forms a link with the others dealing with plants, animals and fungi.
17. IMPORTANT PROTISTA
o CHRYSOPHYTE,
o DINOFLAGELLATES,
o EUGLENOIDS,
o SLIME MOLDS
o PROTOZOANS. (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
18. CHRYSOPHYTE( chief producer of ocean)
o Includes diatoms and golden algae
(desmids).
o Cell walls à two thin overlapping shells,
which fit together as in a soap box.
o The walls are embedded with silica so
the wall is indestructible.
o Diatomaceous earth is the cell wall of
diatoms which is gritty in nature and
used in polishing, filtration of oil and
syrup.
19. DINOFLAGELLATES
o Mostly marine and photosynthetic.
o Most of them have two flagella (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o The cell wall has stiff cellulose plates on the outer surface.

o Sometime Red dinoflagellates (Example: Gonyaulax) undergo such rapid

multiplication that they make the sea appear red (red tides). Toxins released by such
large numbers may even kill other marine animals such as fish.
o Yellow, Brown, Green, Blue or Red according to the pigments in cells.
20. EUGLENOIDS (e.g. Euglena) (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o Not have cell wall, but have a protein rich
layer called PELLICLE
o Pellicle makes their body flexible.
o They have two flagella, a short and a long
one. @Heterokont flagella
o Photosynthetic in presence of sunlight but
in absence they are heterotrophic.
o Considered link between animal and
plant kingdom @ MYXOTROPHIC
NUTRITION
o Photosynthetic pigments are similar to higher plants.
21. SLIME MOLDS:
o Saprophytic protists
o Act as DECOMPOSER. (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o Under suitable conditions, they form an aggregation called PLASMODIUM
o Plasmodium may grow and spread over several feet.
o During unfavourable conditions, the plasmodium differentiates
§ forms fruiting bodies bearing spores at their tips.

o The spores possess true walls.

o They are extremely resistant. (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o The spores are dispersed by air currents.
22. PROTOZOA
o All protozoans are HETEROTROPHS
o Live as predators or parasites.
o Primitive relatives of animals.
o Ameboid protozoans
§ have pseudopodia to capture the food
 § Marine protozoans has silica in their wall.
§ e.g. Entamoeba is a parasite. (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o Flagellated protozoans
§ either free living or parasite.
§ Parasitic forms cause disease.
§ Sleeping sickness is caused by Trypanosoma.
o Ciliated protozoan
§ Actively moving organisms
§ Presence of thousands of cilia.
§ They have a cavity (gullet) that opens to the outside of the cell surface.
§ The water laden with food to be steered into the gullet through ciliary
movement. (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
§ Example: Paramecium.
o Sporozoans:
§ Infectious spore-like stage in their life cycle.
§ Example-Malaria parasite PLASMODIUM

23. KINGDOM -FUNGI

o Eukaryotic
o Chitinous cell wall (chitin and polysaccharides)
o Multicellular with loose tissue
o All heterotrophic(saprophyte/parasite).
o Prefer to grow in warm and humid places.
o Fungi are filamentous.
o Their bodies consist of long, slender thread-like
structures called HYPHAE.
o The network of hyphae is known as MYCELIUM.
o Multinucleated mycelium à COENOCYTIC
MYCELIUM.
o Symbiotic association of algae with fungi is called
LICHEN.
o Fungi also show symbiotic association with higher
plants is called MYCORRHIZA.

(This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)

 o Reproduction in fungi can take place
§ Vegetative means – fragmentation, fission
and budding
§ Asexual reproduction is by spore called
conidia or sporangiospores or zoospores.
§ Sexual reproduction is by oospores,
ascospores and basidiospores.
o Fruiting body is the structure which produce
spores. @ Ascocarp or Basidiocarp
o The sexual cycle involves the following three steps:
§ Plasmogamy- fusion of protoplasm of gametes.
§ Karyogamy- fusion of nuclei of gametes.
§ Zygotic meiosis resulting in formation of haploid spores.
o On the basis of morphology of the
mycelium, mode of spore formation
and fruiting bodies FUNGI ARE
DIVIDED IN FOLLOWING CLASSES.
§ PHYCOMYCETES.
§ ASCOMYCETES.
§ BASIDIOMYCETES.
§ DEUTEROMYCETES.
24. PHYCOMYCETES:
o The mycelium is aseptate and coenocytic.
o Asexual reproduction takes place by zoospores (motile) or by aplanospores
(nonmotile) produce endogenously i.e. inside sporangium.
o Sexual reproduction is isogamous/anisogamous/oogamous type.
o Examples; The bread mould : Rhizopus, Mucor, Albugo (causative agent of white rust
of mustard / Crucifer).
25. ASCOMYCETES : SAC FUNGI
o They are mostly multicellular.
o Yeast (saccharomyces) is unicellular.
o saprophytic, decomposers, parasitic or COPROPHILOUS (GROWING ON DUNG)
o Mycelium is branched and septate.
o The asexual spores à Conidia
§ born exogenously on conidiophore
§ on germination produce mycelium.
o Sexual spores are called ASCOSPORES
§ produced endogenously in sac like asci/ascus.
§ Ascocarp is fruiting body where asci are arranged.
§ Dikaryotic phase is found.
§ After plasmogamy of gametes, dikaryotic mycelium is formed.
§ After some time karyogamy occur in this dikaryotic mycelium.
o Examples;
§ Neurospora (used in genetics and biochemistry),
§ Penicillium(antibiotic)
§ Claviceps (ergot fungus),
§ Aspergillus,
 § Yeast (used in bread and beer industry)
§ Morels ,Truffles (edible fungi)
26. BASIDEOMYCETES:
o The mycelium is branched and septate.
o Vegetative reproduction by fragmentation
o Asexual spores are generally not found.
o The sex organs are absent
o Plasmogamy takes place between two vegetative or somatic cell of different
strain/genotype & dikaryotic mycelium is formed which give rise BASIDIUM where
KARYOGAMY & MEOSIS take place.
o Basidium are arranged in BASIDIOCARP (FRUITING BODY).
o Basidium produce exogenous basidiospores.
o Basidiospores are haploid.
o Some common members are
§ AGARICAS (MUSHROOM),
§ Ustilago (smut) and
§ Puccinia (rust)
§ bracket fungi or puffballs.
27. DEUTEROMYCES: IMPERFECT FUNGI.
o Imperfect stage i.e. sexual reproduction is absent/not known right now.
o The mycelium is septate and branched.
o They reproduce asexually by conidia.
o Members are saprophytes or parasites
o Large number of them are decomposers of litter
o Help in mineral cycling.
o Some examples are Alternaria, Colletotrichum and Trichoderma.
28. KINGDOM-PLANTAE :
o All eukaryotic
o chlorophyll-containing organisms
o Cell wall mainly made of cellulose.
o Body organisation is tissue/organ type.
o Autotrophic but some plants are partial heterotroph.
§ Insectivorus plant like venus fly trap & bladder-wort are example of partial
heterotroph.
§ Cuscuta is example of parasite.
o Life cycle of plants has two distinct phases à the diploid sporophytic and the haploid
gametophytic – that alternate with each other. this is called ALTERNATION OF
GENERATION.
o Plantae includes
§ Algae, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms
29. KINGDOM -ANIMALIA
o Heterotrophic eukaryotic organisms.
o Multicellular
o Lack cell walls.
o Store food reserves as glycogen or fat.
o Their mode of nutrition is holozoic – by ingestion of food.
 o They follow a definite growth pattern
§ Grow into adults that have a definite shape and size.
o Higher forms show elaborate sensory and neuromotor mechanism.
o Most of them are capable of locomotion.
o The sexual reproduction is by copulation of male and female
o Embryological development (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
30. There is no place of virus, viriods and lichens in WHITTAKER FIVE KINGDOM
CLASSIFICATION.
31. VIRUSES
o Non-cellular organisms (?)
o Characterised by having an inert crystalline
structure outside the living cell.
o When virus attack a host cell it controls the host
cells machinery, replicate here and kill the host cell.
o The term virus that means venom or poisonous
fluid was given by Pasteur.
o D.J. Ivanowsky (1892) recognised certain microbes
as causal organism of the mosaic disease of
tobacco. @Filtrate property of virus
o M.W. Beijerinek (1898) à Contagium vivum fluidum (infectious living fluid).
o W.M. Stanley (1935) showed that viruses could be crystallised (Protein crystals)
o They are inert outside their specific host cell.
o Viruses are obligate parasites (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o Genetic material either DNA or RNA.
o Generally plant virus has ss RNA as genetic material.
o Generally animal virus has ds DNA as genetic material.
o Bacteriophage generally has ds DNA.
o Chemically virus is a nucleoprotein.
o The protein coat called CAPSID made of small subunits called capsomeres, protects
the nucleic acid. (This content developed by Biomentors Classes online, Mumbai)
o These capsomeres are arranged in helical or polyhedral geometric forms.
o Viruses cause diseases like mumps, small pox, herpes and influenza and AIDS.
o In plants, the symptoms of virus can be mosaic formation, leaf rolling and curling,
yellowing and vein clearing, dwarfing and stunted growth.
32. COVID – 19
o Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an
infectious disease caused by severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
o The disease was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan,
China, and has since spread globally, resulting in
the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
o Common symptoms include fever, cough, and
shortness of breath. Muscle pain, sputum
production and sore throat are less common
o evere cases death occurs due to severe
pneumonia and multi-organ failure
o The rate of deaths per number of diagnosed cases
is on average 3.4%
o The infection is typically spread from one person to another via respiratory droplets produced during
coughing and sneezing
o Incubation period à 2 to 14 days, with an average of five days
o The standard method of diagnosis is by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) from a
nasopharyngeal swab.
o The infection can also be diagnosed from a combination of symptoms, risk factors and a chest CT scan
showing features of pneumonia.
o Recommended measures to prevent infection include frequent hand washing, maintaining distance from
others, and not touching one's face
o The use of masks is recommended for those who suspect they have the virus and their caregivers
o There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19.
o Management involves treatment of symptoms, supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.
o The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak a pandemic
o The lungs are the organs most affected by COVID-19 because the virus accesses host cells via the enzyme
ACE2, which is most abundant in the type II alveolar cells of the lungs. The virus uses a special surface
glycoprotein, called "spike", to connect to ACE2 and enter the host cell.
o As the alveolar disease progresses, respiratory failure might develop and death may follow.
o The virus is thought to be natural and have an animal origin, through spillover infection.
o Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans.
o In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold
to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS).
o The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19 having ssRNA as genetic
material.
33. VIRIODS:
o Discovered by DIENER in 1971
o Causative agent of POTATO SPINDLE TUBER DISEASE.
o It is a free RNA ,no protein coat
o Smaller than virus.
o Viroid has low molecular weight.
34. LICHEN :
o Symbiotic association between Algae & Fungi
§ PHYCOBIONT (algae)
§ MYCOBIONT (fungi)
o Phycobiont make food for mycobiont also in return mycobiont provides shelter and
water mineral to algae.
o Lichen is very close relationship # Mutualism
o They are good indicator of pollution (not found in polluted area). @SO2 pollution

Golden Points By Biomentors

1. All eukaryotic unicellular organisms belong to 6. Cantagium vivum fluidum was proposed by M.
Protista. W. Beijerinck.
2. The five-kingdom classification was proposed 7. Association between mycobiont and
by R.H. Whittaker. phycobiont are found in Lichens.
3. Organisms living in salty areas are called as 8. Difference between virus and viroid isà
Halophiles. Absence of protein coat in viroid but present in
4. Naked cytoplasm, multinucleated and virus.
saprophytic are the characteristics of Slime 9. In fungal sexual cycle the events are à
mould. Plasmogamy, karyogamy and meiosis.
5. An association between roots of higher plants 10. Oscillatoria is a prokaryotic. @ BGA
and fungi is called Mycorrhiza. 11. Bacteria & Plants à Have rigid cell wall.
12. During replication in bacteria, DNA is anchored 33. Largest population of organisms of any type on
to Mesosome. earth is of Bacteria.
13. Diaminopimelic acid amino acid is present only 34. Genetic material of COVID – 19 virus is Single
in cell wall of bacteria and cyanobacteria. stranded RNA.
14. A filamentous nitrogen fixing bacterium is 35. Binary fission processes results in the formation
present in root nodules of flowering plants à of a clone of bacteria. @ Simple division
Casuarina equisetifolia. @ Frankea bacteria 36. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a disease
15. Mycoplasma are not sensitive to penicillin. caused by PRIONS in Cow.
16. Most of the viruses have non-enveloped 37. TMV Possess about 2130 capsomeres.
nucleo-protein structure. 38. Metachromatic granules are Inclusion bodies in
17. Insipient nucleus occurs in monera. bacteria.
18. Coliphage Φ × 174 virus à Single Stranded 39. Infectious RNA particles without protein is
DNA. Viroids and virusoids.
19. Bacteriophage release lysozyme at Penetration 40. Organisms called methanogens are most
phase. @ dissolve bacterial wall abundant in Cattle yard. @archebacteria
20. Viroid causes Potato spindle tuber disease. 41. Common cold is not cured by antibiotics as it is
21. RNA retroviruses have a special enzyme that Caused by virus.
Transcribes viral RNA to cDNA. @Reverse 42. Lockjaw disease or Tetanus à Caused by
transcriptase Bacteria Clostridium tetani
22. Linnaen system of plant classification is based 43. Pigment containing membranous extensions in
on Floral characters. some cyanobacteria are Chromatophores.
23. A bacterium divides every 35 minutes. If a 44. Viral infection symptoms in plants à
culture containing 105 cells/ ml is grown for • Mosaic formation,
175 minutes, 32 × 10 will be cell
5
• Leaf rolling and curling,
concentration after that period. • Yellowing and vein clearing,
24. Gram negative bacteria detect and respond to • Dwarfing and stunted growth.
chemicals by Lipopolysaccharide. 45. Archaebacteria differ from eubacteria in Cell
25. Outer membrane is not a characteristic of Gram membrane structure. (Branched chain lipid
(+) bacteria. @ Seen in Gram-ve bacteria present in Archaebacteria cell membrane). They
26. Shorter generation time of E. coli as compared also differ in cell wall composition.
to eukaryotes is due to Large surface / volume 46. The eukaryotic cells not have peptidoglycan in
ratio. the cell wall.
27. Slime Moulds is a protista. 47. Archaebacteria are found in extreme saline
28. Heterocyst seen in Nostoc (a BGA) conditions. @ Halophiles
29. “They have some novel features absent in other 48. Glycocalyx components provides sticky
prokaryotes and eukaryotes” This statement is character to the bacterial cell.
true about domain archaea. 49. Mycoplasma are the smallest living cells,
30. Viruses are Obligate parasites. known without a definite cell wall, pathogenic
31. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Is to plants as well as animals and can survive
caused by a variant of common Cold virus without oxygen.
(Corona virus). 50. Ciliates differ from all other protozoans in
32. When milk is heated at 62.5℃ for 30 minutes having two types of nuclei.
and then cold, the process is called
Pasteurization.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FIVE KINGDOMS

Characters Five Kingdoms

Monera Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia
Cell type Prokaryotic Eukaryotic Eukaryotic Eukaryotic Eukaryotic
Cell wall Noncellulosic (Polysaccharide + Present in some Present with Present Absent
amino acid) chitin (cellulose)
Nuclear Absent Present Present Present Present
membrane
Body Cellular Cellular Multiceullar/ Tissue/ organ Tissue/organ/
organisation loose tissue organ system
Mode of Autotrophic (chemosynthetic and Autotrophic Heterotrophic Autotrophic Heterotrophic
nutrition photosynthetic) and Hetero- (Photosynthetic) and (Saprophytic/ (Photosynthetic) (Holozoic/
trophic (saprophytic/parasitic) Hetero- trophic Parasitic) Saprophytic