Question

Write a note on Linnaeus’ two-kingdom classification.

Answer 1

1. Linnaeus classified living organisms into two kingdoms based on nutrition and locomotion. The two kingdoms were as follows: Animalia and Plantae.
2. The organisms that are autotrophs (produce their own food) and are not capable of locomotion were placed under the kingdom ‘Plantae’.
3. The organisms that are heterotrophs (or depend on others for food) and can move were placed under the kingdom ‘Animalia’.
4. The two-kingdom classification had some demerits as the system failed to distinguish between:
   • Prokaryotes and eukaryotes
   • Unicellular and multicellular organisms
5. Besides this, a large number of organisms do not fall into any category, for example, Euglena, as they have characters of both animals and plants.