Linnaean taxonomy

:Taxonomy in general refers either to a hierarchical classification of things, or the principles underlying that classification.

Later developments

Over time, our understanding of the relationships between living things has changed. The greatest change was the widespread acceptance of evolution as the mechanism of biological diversity and species formation. After this, it became generally understood that classifications ought to reflect the phylogeny of organisms, where each taxon should originate from a single ancestral form. In some systems it is generally encouraged that taxa should be strictly monophyletic, but this idea is controversial.

Related Topics:
Evolution - Phylogeny - Monophyletic

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Originally, Linnaeus established three kingdoms in his scheme, namely Plantae, Animalia and an additional group for minerals, which has since been abandoned. Since then, various life forms have been moved into three new kingdoms: Monera, for prokaryotes (i.e., bacteria); Protista, for protozoans and most algae; and Fungi. This five kingdom scheme is still far from the phylogenetic ideal and has largely been supplanted in modern taxonomic work by a division into three domains: Bacteria and Archaea, which contain the prokaryotes, and Eukaryota, comprising the remaining forms. This change was precipitated by the discovery of the Archaea.

Related Topics:
Plant - Animal - Minerals - Monera - Prokaryotes - Protist - Fungi - Phylogenetic - Bacteria - Archaea - Eukaryota

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See also: Evolutionary tree, which has further subdivisions and presents the most current taxonomic viewpoint.

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