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Evolutionary Biology pp 45–78Cite as

Five-Kingdom Classification and the Origin and Evolution of Cells

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Abstract

This chapter will argue that modern biologists, in spite of social pressures and historical precedents, need to replace the traditional two-kingdom animal-plant distinction, which has outlived its usefulness, with a multikingdom classification of living organisms. For reasons discussed below, based on recent discoveries from a variety of disciplines, it seems that Whittaker’s five-kingdom system (Whittaker, 1969) is the most logical and consistent yet devised. Whittaker’s system is expanded below the phylum level and slightly modified on the basis of cell evolutionary considerations; suggestions for its adoption by zoologists, botanists, and microbiologists are made.*

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Lynn Margulis

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  1. Lynn Margulis
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of California, Davis, California, USA

    Theodosius Dobzhansky

  2. Queens College, Flushing, New York, USA

    Max K. Hecht

  3. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, USA

    William C. Steere

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© 1974 Plenum Press, New York

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Margulis, L. (1974). Five-Kingdom Classification and the Origin and Evolution of Cells. In: Dobzhansky, T., Hecht, M.K., Steere, W.C. (eds) Evolutionary Biology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6944-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6944-2_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-6946-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-6944-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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