Two-empire system

Phylogenetic and symbiogenetic tree of living organisms, showing the origins of eukaryotes & prokaryotes

The two-empire system (two-superkingdom system) was the top-level biological classification system in general use before the establishment of the three-domain system. It classified life into Prokaryota and Eukaryota. When the three-domain system was introduced, some biologists preferred the two-superkingdom system, claiming that the three-domain system overemphasized the division between Archaea and Bacteria. However, given the current state of knowledge and the rapid progress in biological scientific advancement, especially due to genetic analyses, that view has all but vanished.

Some prominent scientists, such as Thomas Cavalier-Smith, still hold to the two-empire system.[1] The late Ernst Mayr, one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists, wrote dismissively of the three-domain system, "I cannot see any merit at all in a three empire cladification."[2] Additionally, the scientist Radhey Gupta argues for a return to the two-empire system, claiming that the primary division within prokaryotes should be among those surrounded by a single membrane (monoderm), including gram-positive bacteria and archaebacteria, and those with an inner and outer cell membrane (diderm), including gram-negative bacteria.[3]

Taxonomical root node Two superdomains (controversial) Two empires Three domains Six kingdoms
Biota / Vitae
life		 Acytota / Aphanobionta (Viruses, Viroids, Prions?, ...) non-cellular life
Cytota
cellular life		 Prokaryota / Procarya
(Monera)		 Bacteria Eubacteria
Archaea Archaebacteria
Eukaryota / Eukarya Protista
Fungi
Plantae
Animalia

This system was preceded by Haeckel's three-kingdom system: Animalia – Plantae – Protista

References

  1. ↑ Cavalier-Smith T (2002). "The neomuran origin of archaebacteria, the negibacterial root of the universal tree and bacterial megaclassification." Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 52(Pt 1):7-76.
  2. ↑ E. Mayr (1998). "Two empires or three?" Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 9720-9723
  3. ↑ Gupta, Radhey S (1998). "Life's Third Domain (Archaea): An Established Fact or an Endangered Paradigm?: A New Proposal for Classification of Organisms Based on Protein Sequences and Cell Structure." Theoretical Population Biology 54 (2): 91-104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/tpbi.1998.1376

See also

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