Misconceptions Table — Biological Classification — Notes | NoteTube

Statement	True/False	Correction
Viruses contain both DNA and RNA simultaneously	FALSE	A single virus contains EITHER DNA OR RNA — never both simultaneously
Fungi store starch as their energy reserve	FALSE	Fungi store glycogen (like animals), not starch
Cyanobacteria belong to Kingdom Protista (algae)	FALSE	Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes and belong to Kingdom Monera
Archaebacteria have peptidoglycan in their cell walls	FALSE	Archaebacteria cell walls lack peptidoglycan — this is a defining feature
Mycoplasma is a eukaryote because it has no cell wall	FALSE	Mycoplasma is a prokaryote (Monera) — absence of cell wall doesn't determine nuclear type
Euglena is classified as a plant because it photosynthesises	FALSE	Euglena belongs to Protista — it is mixotrophic, not exclusively autotrophic
Euglena has a cell wall like plants	FALSE	Euglena has a pellicle (proteinaceous), not a true cell wall
Lichens are only sensitive to water pollution	FALSE	Lichens are sensitive to air pollution — specifically sulphur dioxide ( $SO_{2}$ )
Diatom cell walls are made of cellulose	FALSE	Diatom cell walls are made of silica ( $SiO_{2}$ ) — called frustules
Diatomaceous earth is formed by volcanic ash deposits	FALSE	Formed by accumulated siliceous frustules of dead diatoms
All bacteria have peptidoglycan cell walls	FALSE	Archaebacteria lack peptidoglycan; Mycoplasma has no cell wall at all
Prions contain RNA as their infectious component	FALSE	Prions have no nucleic acid — they are entirely protein-based (misfolded proteins)
Viroids are larger than viruses	FALSE	Viroids are smaller than viruses and much simpler
Phycomycetes have septate mycelium	FALSE	Phycomycetes have coenocytic (aseptate) mycelium — no cross-walls
Deuteromycetes reproduce sexually via basidiospores	FALSE	Deuteromycetes have no known sexual stage — they only produce conidia (asexual)
The mycobiont in a lichen photosynthesises to provide food	FALSE	The phycobiont (algal partner) photosynthesises; the mycobiont (fungus) absorbs water and minerals
Plasmodium (slime mould) causes malaria	FALSE	Plasmodium (malaria) is a protozoan (Sporozoa); Physarum is the slime mould genus
All prokaryotes are harmful/pathogenic	FALSE	Many are beneficial: Nostoc/Anabaena fix nitrogen, Rhizobium enriches soil, Lactobacillus makes yogurt
TMV contains DNA as its genetic material	FALSE	TMV (Tobacco Mosaic Virus) contains RNA, not DNA; it is an RNA virus
Yeast (Saccharomyces) is an exception to the rule that fungi are multicellular	TRUE	Yeast is indeed unicellular — it is the well-known exception to the generally multicellular fungi