TREE OF LIFE

                            Tue Jul 15 05:11:33 UTC 2025
















    Domain -> Kingdom -> Phylum -> Class -> Order -> Family -> Genus -> Species
                 |
                 `---> obsolete in some classifications








               .´                                      .´
    Two        |  Animalia                  Three      |  Animalia
    Kingdoms -<   Vegetabilia   >> > >>     Kingdoms -<   Plantae
    (1753)     |                            (1866)     |  Protista ----.
               '-                                      '.              |
                                                                       V
                               any eukaryot not an animal, land plant, or fungus






                      .-->  "genetic material is enclosed
                      |         in a nuclear membrane"
               .-     |
    Two        |      |                                         .´
    Empires  -<   Eukaryota                          Four       |  Animalia
    (1925)     |  Procaryota     >> > >> > >>        Kingdoms -<   Plantae
               '.     |                              (1938)     |  Protista
                      |                                         |  Monera ---.
                      '--> "genetic material is not             '.           |
                       enclosed in a nuclear membrane"                       |
                                                                             |
                                                                             |
               .´                                                            |
               |   Animalia          .----> chitin-glucan cell walls         |
    Five       |   Plantae         .´         + hyphae or yeast              |
    Kingdoms -<    Fungi ---------´                                          |
    (1969)     |   Monera --------------.                                    |
               |   Protista              `.                                  |
               '.                          `------>  i.e. prokaryota <-------'


               .´
               |   Animalia
    Six        |   Plantae
    Kingdoms -<    Fungi            .----> genetically distinct prokaryotes
    (1977)     |   Protista         |
               |   Bacteria --------|
               |   Archae ----------'
               '.



                  .´
    Three         |  Eucarya
    Domains -----<   Bacteria -.             <-- compare to 1925 Two Empires
    (1990)        |  Archaea ---|
    [dominant]    '.            |
                                '---> prokaryotes







    .-----------------------------------------------------------------------------.
    |                                                                             |
    | * polyphyletic: "includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin          |
    |                  but does not include their most recent common ancestor"    |
    |                                                                             |
    |  * monophyletic: "contains their own most recent common ancestor,           |
    |                   contains all the descendants and excludes non-descendants |
    |                   of this common ancestor, without exception"               |
    |                                                                             |
    '-----------------------------------------------------------------------------'







               .´                   .-----> "animal-like protists" [polyphyletic]
               |   Animalia         |
    Six        |   Plantae          |
    Kingdoms -<    Fungi            |
    (1998)     |   Bacteria         |
               |   Protozoa --------'
               |   Chromista -------------> "plant-like protists" [polyphyletic]
               '.

               .´
               |   Animalia
               |   Plantae
    Seven      |   Fungi
    Kingdoms -<    Bacteria
    (2015)     |   Archaea ----> reinstated to the top level
               |   Protozoa ----> polyphyletic
               |   Chromista ----> polyphyletic
               '.






                                  .´
                .´                |  Animalia
                |  Eucarya ------<   Plantae
    Consensus -<   Bacteria       |  Fungi
                |  Archaea        |  (protists are scattered here)
                '.                 '.