The table below lists the basic general characteristics that are used to differentiate between the different kingdoms.
| Criteria | Kingdom | |||||
| Animals | Plants | Fungi | Protists | Archaebacteria | Eubacteria | |
| Type of cells | Eukaryotic | Eukaryotic | Eukaryotic | Eukaryotic | Prokaryotic | Prokaryotic |
| Cell wall | None | Yes (cellulose) | Yes (chitin) | None | Yes (peptidoglycan) | Yes |
| Cell organization | Multicellular | Multicellular | Multicellular | Single celled | Single celled | Single celled |
| Heterophroph or Autotroph? | Heterotroph | Autotroph | Heterotroph | Both | Both | Both |
| Method of reproduction | Mostly sexual but can be asexual | Mostly sexual but can be asexual | Both | Both | Asexual | Asexual |
| Example organisms | Sponges, worms, lobsters, starfish, humans | Mosses, ferns, conifers, flowering plants | Mushrooms, yeasts, moulds | Algae, amoebas, parameciums | Methanogens, thermophiles, halophiles | Bacteria, cyanobacteria |
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