Chapter 13
The Diversity of Life
Peter Rabbit is a storybook character that was created by
Beatrix Potter, who lived in England from 1866 to 1943.
Although best known for her children's book The Tale of Peter
Rabbit, Beatrix Potter also spent part of her life studying a
life form called lichens. You might have seen flat, textured,
light green lichens growing on top of a rock or on a rotting log.
Beatrix Potter theorized that a lichen is composed of a special
relationship between two different life forms: an algae and a
fungus. Decades later, scientists discovered that Potter was
exactly right about her theory on lichens. Read this chapter to
learn more about lichens and other members of Kingdom
Protista and Kingdom Fungi.
- What is a scientific name like Felis domesticus
used for, and what does it mean? - What living things are included in Kingdom
Protista and Kingdom Fungi? - What are algae and fungi, and how do they
reproduce?