Kingdom Monera | Prokaryotae

Kingdom Monera includes prokaryotes (e.g. bacteria and blue algae) and shows the following characters:

Characteristics of Kingdom Monera / Prokaryotae:

1. They are single-celled prokaryotes.

2. Some are anaerobesAn anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organism that does not require molecular oxygen for growth. It may react negatively or even die if free oxygen is present. Anaerobic means living,... More while others are aerobesAn aerobic organism or aerobe is an organism that can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment. The ability to exhibit aerobic respiration may yield benefits to the aerobic organism, as... More.

3. They have a thick and rigid cell wall made up of amino acids and polysaccharides.

4. Some are motilecapable of motion. More or non-motilenot able to move by itself. More. The motile organisms have whip-like flagella which help in locomotion, by the beating of simple flagella or by gliding.

5. Some are autotrophicAn autotroph is an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals. It feeds itself, without the assistance of any other organisms. The word... More e.g. blue-green algae, others are heterotrophicA heterotroph is an organism that consumes other organisms in a food chain. The term stems from the Greek words hetero for “other” and trophe for “nourishment.” More.

6. They lack the following cell organelles; mitochondria, chloroplasts, and endoplasmic reticulum.

7. Their cell does not have an organised nucleus with a nuclear envelope.

8. They reproduce by asexual means, examples are Bacteria. Binary fission is the process through which asexual reproduction happens in bacteria. Other examples include E.coli, Clostridium sp, and blue-green algae.

9. A few bacteria can make their own food (chemosynthetic autotrophs) others live as parasites i.e. they live and feed on living organisms. Some are saprophytic i.e. they break down food present in dead organisms and absorb it.

Note: The cell division that occurs during asexual reproduction is called mitosis.