👉Since the dawn of civilisation, there have been many attempts to classify
living organisms. It was done instinctively not using criteria that were
scientific but borne out of a need to use organisms for our own use – for
food, shelter and clothing.
living organisms. It was done instinctively not using criteria that were
scientific but borne out of a need to use organisms for our own use – for
food, shelter and clothing.
👉Aristotle was the earliest to attempt a more
scientific basis for classification. He used simple morphological characters
to classify plants into trees, shrubs and herbs.
👉He also divided animals
into two groups, those which had red blood and those that did not.
👉Biological classification of plants and animals was first proposed by Aristotle on the
basis of simple morphological characters. Linnaeus later classified all living organisms
into two kingdoms – Plantae and Animalia. Whittaker proposed an elaborate five
kingdom classification – Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia. The main
criteria of the five kingdom classification were cell structure, body organisation,
mode of nutrition and reproduction, and phylogenetic relationships.
