Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Classification of Plants
Notes

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Classification and its Need

Classification is the system of arranging living organisms into groups based on
their similarities and differences.

• Millions of living organisms on the Earth.

• 8.7 Million known species

Advantages of Classification
• Characteristics of all members of group can be understood by studying
only a few members.
• Makes study systematic.
• Helps in identifying different organisms and placing them into particular
groups.
• Gives an idea about
• Evolution of organisms.

Classification of living world

Originally living organisms were classified into two-Kingdom System:
▪ Kingdom Plantae
▪ Kingdom Animalia
This system had certain anomalies.
Limitations:

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

➢ Bacteria were classified with plant but they possess characteristics of

both plants and animals.
➢ Protozoans were initially put under animal kingdom but Euglena had
chlorophyll, no cell wall.
➢ Eye-spot like structure – like animals

Five Kingdom System Classification

Robert Whittaker (1969) gave 5-kingdom system classification:
1. Kingdom Monera
2. Kingdom Protista
3. Kingdom Fungi
4. Kingdom Plantae
5. Kingdom Animalia

Kingdom Monera
➢ Microscopic, Unicellular organisms with cell wall
➢ NUCLEUS
✓ No nucleus
✓ Poorly developed nucleoid which contains genetic material.
✓ Example: Bacteria

➢ Since nuclear membrane is absent, these are prokaryotes.

➢ Cell wall is rigid structure.
➢ MODE OF NUTRITION

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

✓ Heterotrophs
✓ Parasites

Bacteria
➢ Smallest and structurally simplest organisms.
➢ Found in air, water, soil, human bodies, plants and animals.
➢ Survive in extreme temperature.
➢ Visible only under high powered light microscope.

1. Coccus form – spherical or ovoid in shaped

2. Bacillus form – rod shaped, occur singly or in groups
3. Spirillum form – spiral shaped
4. Vibrio form – comma-shaped E.g. Vibrio cholerae

Structure of Bacterium

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

• Most primitive nucleus

• Not bound by nuclear membrane
• Has chromatin material
• Outermost cell wall is made up of protein-like material
• Cell wall surrounded by gelatinous or proteinaeous ‘capsule’
• Reserve food is glycogen
• Nucleolus, mitochondria & plastids are absent

Useful bacteria
1. Medicines – Antibiotics (streptomycin) can destroy disease causing germs in
the body. These are used in treatment of many diseases. Killed/weakened
diseases-causing bacteria are used in vaccine preparation which are used to
prevent diseases like polio, tuberculosis, small pox.
2. Lactobacillus bacteria – used for curdling of milk. Milk sugar gets converted
into lactic acid.
3. Bacteria like Acetobacter ferment fruit juices into vinegar.
4. Tanning of leather are used in curing of animal hides and skin.
5. Retting of fibres are separated and made softer by the use of bacteria.
6. Formation of compost and manure by bacterial action causing decay and
produce useful manures.
7. Biogas and gobar gas plants in big cities where human excreta is
decomposed by sewage bacteria. The inflammable gas produced in the process
is collected for cooking and remaining liquid and solid are used as manures.
8. Bacteria in large intestine of humans produce vitamin B and K required for
body.
9. Bacteria present in the intestines of herbivores help in the digestion of
cellulose.

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

10. Bacteria like Rhizobium are found living in root nodules of leguminous
plants where they help in nitrogen fixation. Bacteria trap atmospheric nitrogen
and convert it into nitrates which can be used by microbes.
In this process, bacteria provide food to the plants and plants in turn provide
shelter to bacteria. Such relationship is called as symbiosis.
11. Saprotrophic bacteria feed on dead and decaying organic matter which
convert complex food material into agriculturally useful nutrients. This way
they increase soil fertility.

Harmful bacteria
1. Spoilage of food – food items get spoiled quickly due to bacteria. One should
not consume tinned or canned food after expiry as it can be infected by
bacteria.
2. Diseases – Bacteria are responsible for various diseases:
Name of Disease Name of disease-causing bacteria
Typhoid Salmonella typhi
Tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Pneumonia Streptococcus pneumoniae
Cholera Vibrio cholerae
Diphtheria Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Kingdom Protista
➢ Single-celled organism with well-developed nucleus.
➢ Since the nucleus is well-developed they are called eukaryotes.
➢ Some organisms of this kingdom are plant-like (as they have chloroplast)

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

➢ Some are animal like (as they do not make their own food)

Amoeba Paramoecium

Amoeba
• Simplest animals
• Made up of just one single cell
• Seen only under microscope
• Found in ponds, ditches and other places with stagnating water
• Irregular shape
Movement
• Organ of locomotion – Pseudopodium
• Many projections can be seen at a particular time
• Only one extends longer than the other towards the direction it wants to
move in.

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Feeding
• Amoeba sense food in surroundings and puts out its pseudopodia
and move towards it.

• Food vacuole is formed where digestive juices are secreted by

cytoplasm.
• These juices break down food into simple soluble form.
• Soluble food is absorbed into cytoplasm and stored or utilized for
growth and release of energy.
• Undigested food is expelled out.
• Digestion occurs only inside food vacuole to prevent the mixing of
digestive juices with the cytoplasm.

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Excretion
• Ammonia is the main waste product.
• Waste is eliminated through the general body surface by simple
diffusion.
• Excess water from the body is collected in the contractile vacuole.
• Ammonia is soluble in water, hence expelled out along with the water
from contractile vacuole

Respiration
• Exchange of gases takes place through cell membrane
• Oxygen from surroundings water diffuses into cytoplasm and carbon
dioxide from body diffuses out into surrounding water.

Reproduction
• Amoeba reproduces by splitting into two.
• A fully grown Amoeba, first divides its nucleus and then divides its
cytoplasm, splitting into two (Binary Fission).

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

• Under unfavourable conditions, Amoeba withdraws its pseudopodia and

turns into small rounded speck.
• Amoeba secretes thick wall (Cyst) around itself.
• Inside cyst happens multiple fission.
• Each daughter nucleus is surrounded by some cytoplasm to form
AMOEBULAE.
• Under favourable conditions, cyst breaks to release amoebulae.

Kingdom Fungi
➢ Mostly multicellular or many-celled organisms
➢ No chlorophyll
➢ Feed on dead and decaying matter (Saprotrophs)

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Bread Mould
➢ Commonly grow on stale bread.
Structure: Made of thread-like structure called HYPHAE
Network of hyphae is called mycelium

➢ Mature, erect structures bearing rounded bodies at its tip start

developing from hyphae.
• Erect hyphae - sporangiophores
• Rounded bodies – sporangium (spore containing bodies)
• When sporangium burst open, spores are dispersed into air.
• When they land on suitable substratum, each grow to form a mycelium.

Respiration
• Mainly aerobic
• Saprophytic mode of nutrition
• Hyphae of the bread mould secrete digestive juices into bread.
• Enzyme convert starch present in the bread into a simple sugar (glucose)
• Food is then absorbed through body surface and stored as glycogen.

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Useful Fungi
Source of Food
• Morchella & Agaricus are edible.
Bakeries
• Used in making of bread.
• Important in breweries for making alcohol.
Vitamins
• Yeast produces vitamin B.
Decomposers
• Decompose dead organic matter and return the nutrients back into the
soil.
Antibiotics
• Penicillium obtained from a fungus called Penicillium notatum.
Ripening of Cheese
• Species like Mucor and Penicillium are used in ripening of cheese.
Spoilage of Food
• Moulds are responsible for spoilage of food, leather goods and textiles.
Damages Crops
• Many crops are susceptible to fungal attacks.
• This leads to huge losses to farmers.
Infections in Humans
• Serious skin and lung infection in human beings.
• E.g. Athlete’s foot and ringworm

Kingdom Plantae
➢ Multicellular eukaryotes with cellulose cell wall
➢ Autotrophs - Presence of green pigment called chlorophyll

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Divisions

Algae
• Aquatic in habitat
• Unicellular or multicellular
• Usually green having chlorophyll
• Some algae have colors like red, brown

Algae grown on rocks

• E.g. Spirogyra

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Difference between Algae and Fungi

Algae Fungi

Chlorophyll present. Chlorophyll absent.

Photosynthetic organisms Heterotrophic organisms usually

synthesizing their own food. living on dead and decaying
organic matter [Saprotrophs]

Are mostly aquatic, found in fresh Are mostly terrestrial i.e. growing
as well as marine water. on land.

Body not differentiated into root, Body is composed of thread-like

stem and leaves [Thallus] structures called Hyphae
[Mycelium]

E.g. Spirogyra, Ulothrix E.g. Agaricus, Penicillum

Mosses (Bryophyta)
• Grow as green, velvety layers in moist places such as damp soil, bark of
trees, on damp walls.
• Plants have stems and leaves but no roots.

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

• Thread-like structures called rhizoids which stick to surface and absorb

water.
• AMPHIBIANS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM

Ferns (Pteridophyta)
• Grown in most of the gardens for their beautiful leaves
• Bear well-formed leaves, stems and roots
• Do not produce flowers and seeds

• Leaves produce small rounded bodies on their undersurface

• Bodies contain tiny spores which get scattered to produce new plants

Flowering Plants [Phanerogams]

Two categories:
1. Gymnosperms
2. Angiosperms
Gymnosperms
• Group of plants that bear seeds but no fruits.

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

• Seeds are thin and naked, not enclosed in fruits.

• Most gymnosperms are evergreen.
• Do not bear true flowers

Angiosperms
• Group of plants which bear flowers, fruits and seeds.
• Seeds are enclosed in a fruit
• Seeds develop within the female part of the flower (ovary)
• Ovary grows into a fruit containing the seeds inside

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Types of Angiosperms
• Characterized by presence of seed-leaves or cotyledons that store food
and form the bulk of seed.
• Two categories:
1. Monocotyledons
2. Dicotyledons

Monocotyledons
Plants containing only one cotyledon or one seed leaf in their seeds.
E.g. rice, grass, maize

Dicotyledons
Plants containing two cotyledons or two seed leaves in their seeds.
E.g. rose, balsam, pea, sunflower, brinjal

www.learnohub.com
Class 7 Biology ICSE | Classification of Plants | Notes

Monocotyledons Dicotyledons

Seeds have a single cotyledon. Seeds contain two cotyledons.

Leaves have parallel venation. Leaves with reticulate venation.

Fibrous root system is present. Tap root system is present.

Stem usually hollow. Stem mostly solid.

E.g. Rice, grass E.g. Pea, Rose

Gymnosperms Angiosperms

Are mostly woody tress. Can be herbs, shrubs and trees.

Flowers and fruits are absent. Flowers and fruits are present.

Bear naked seeds which are not Bears seeds enclosed in a fruit.
enclosed in a fruit.

Reproductive structures are Reproductive structures are

unisexual cones that bear seeds. unisexual or bisexual.

E.g. Pine, Cedar E.g. Grass, sugarcane, mango tree

**********

www.learnohub.com