Introduction

What is the mold that forms on bread? What does the doctor mean when he says I have a bacterial infection or a virus? Is it true that many bacteria are essential, even vital to human life? These are some of the questions that will be answered through the study of unit eight.

This unit involves an introduction of the first three kingdoms of living organisms. Students will investigate and observe the differences and similarities between these first three kingdoms. They will investigate how these kingdoms are broken down into phyla and class. The major structural and functional characteristics of these organisms will be observed. The structure and function of a virus will be examined in the context of the five-kingdom classification system. Students will become more familiar with many of the organisms that make up their everyday environment.

Core Terminology

The following terminology will be used within this unit.

virus

bacteriophage

lytic cycle

lysogenic cycle

retrovirus

parasite

host

fission

prokaryote

autotroph

heterotroph

chemotrophic

phototrophic

aerobe

anaerobe

pathogen

antibiotic

vaccine

symbiosis

protist

cilium

flagellum

paramecium

ameba

euglena

diatom

phytoplankton

slime mold

fungi

decomposer

mycelium

hypha

rhizoid

ascus

lichen

asexual