Bacterial
Microorganisms
Classification
The
kingdom
protista,
as
onignally
proposed
by
Haeckel
in
1866
to
include
microorganisms,
is
a
heterogenous
group
consisting
of
protozoa,
algae,
fungi
and
bacteria.
Although
each
one
of
these
groups
has
distinct
characteristics,
within
a
group
organisms
show
a
great
deal
of
similarity.
To
distinguish
one
individual
from
another,
we
need
to
establish
certain
criteria
and
this
art
of
biological
classification
is
known
as
taxonomy
or
systematics.
Taxonomy
is
therefore,
the
systematic
arrangement
of
organisms
in
groups
or
categories
called
taxa
(taxon-singular).
Taxonomy
has
two
functions;
first
to
identify
and
describe
as
completely
as
possible
to
the
basic
taxonomic
unit
or
species
and
second,
to
devise
a
method
for
arranging
and
cataloguing
these
species.
A
species,
by
definition
consists
of
a
group
of
individuals
that
are
phenotypically
similar
although,
individuals
may
show
some
degree
of
internal
phenotypic
diversity.
The
degree
of
phenotypic
dissimilarity
allows
one
to
break
up
a
group
into
two
or
more
species.
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