A scientist discovers a new organism in the ocean. It is unicellular, has a cell wall made of peptidoglycan, and reproduces asexually. Based on this information, which kingdom would this organism belong to?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Interpreting the given traits, I start by noting that the organism is unicellular, which narrows possibilities to groups containing single-celled organisms rather than most animals and many plants.
Next, the cell wall is made of peptidoglycan. This specific chemical composition is characteristic of bacteria and is a key distinguishing feature from other kingdoms such as plants (cellulose), fungi (chitin), or many protists.
The method of reproduction is asexual. While asexual reproduction occurs in several kingdoms, when combined with a peptidoglycan-containing cell wall and unicellularity, the evidence strongly points toward bacteria rather than the other options.
Now, evaluating each option:
- Animals: These are typically multicellular and lack cell walls entirely; peptidoglycan is not a component of animal cell walls, so this does not fit.
- Plants: Plant cells possess cellulose walls and are usually multicellular; the peptidoglycan hallmark is missing here, so this is not a match.
- Fungi: Fungal cell walls contain chitin, not peptidoglycan, and while some fungi can be unicellular (like yeasts), the wall composition does not align with the description.
- Bacteria: This option best aligns with all clues — unicellular, peptidoglycan in the cell wall, and asexual reproduction via binary fission are classic bacterial traits.
Thus, the traits described are most consistent with the bacterial option among the listed choices.

SCI-BIO B Semester B Exam

A scientist discovers a new organism in the ocean. It is unicellular, has a cell wall made of peptidoglycan, and reproduces asexually. Based on this information, which kingdom would this organism belong to?

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