Students in biological sciences are increasingly arriving at university with little or no knowledge of basic zoology, botany or microbiology. Their first year teaching often does not address this deficiency, and yet students will encounter a wide range of organisms in their university careers. They need to know what these organisms are and how they relate to each other. This book provides a succinct overview of the five kingdoms - defining the terminology and structure of classification. Following a standard structure, there is a general description of each phylum, its main members, diagnostic features, etc. Within each phylum there is a description of each class, with illustrations of representative organisms. Orders and species will be given only brief mention. An ideal reference for anyone, from undergraduate to researcher, needing to place or find out about an unfamiliar organism they have encountered.