Characteristics of Monera PDF

4.2 Characteristics of Monera 1. Organisms present in kingdom monera are cosmopolitan in distribution. So they are found in all types of habitat like in hot springs, on the underside of icebergs, on the deep ocean floor, deserts, parasitic or symbiotic forms. 2. They are either un...

4.2 Characteristics of Monera 1. Organisms present in kingdom monera are cosmopolitan in distribution. So they are found in all types of habitat like in hot springs, on the underside of icebergs, on the deep ocean floor, deserts, parasitic or symbiotic forms. 2. They are either unicellular or multicellular microscopic organisms. 3. They have prokaryotic type of cell structure. They lack true or advanced nucleus. Nucleoid (incipient nucleus or genophore) is present without nuclear membrane, nucleoplasm, nucleolus and chromatin. Nucleoid consists of DNA, RNA and protein. 5. DNA is circular without histone protein (circular naked DNA). 4. Membrane bound cell organelles like mitochondria, Golgi body, plastid, endoplasmic reticulum, etc. are absent. Ribosome is 70s type. 6. Cell wall is made up of pepidoglycon or murein (except archaebacteria and mycoplasma). 7. They have autotrophicor heterotrophic mode of nutrition. 8. Photosynthetic pigments may be present or absent. 9. They may be decomposers and mineralizers or producers in the biosphere. 10. Reserved food is glycogen or fats or cyanophycean starch. 11. Flagella, if present, are single stranded and consist of protein called flagellin. 12. Respiratory enzymes are associated with plasma membrane. 13. Cell division takes place by amitosis and mitosis. Meiosis is absent. 14. Reproduction takes place by vegetative and asexual methods. Sexual reproduction is absent. Genetic recombination may occur in some monera. 15. Embryo is absent. 16. Bacteria, cyanobacteria, archaebacteria, mycoplasma, etc. are examples of kingdom monera.