what were the main problems in having two kingdoms system of classification of living organisms?
Answers
The Two Kingdom classification by Carolus Linnaeus, wasn’t specific in its approach because this classification was based on grouping all the living organisms under only two kingdoms, i.e. Kingdom Plantae and Kingdom Animalia. Biology includes life forms with exceptions. There arose questions as to where exactly should organisms like Fungi, Amoeba, Bacteria and Viruses be placed? These organisms exhibited characteristics of both plants and animals.
For example- Fungi is achlorophyllous and exhibits heterotrophic mode of nutrition like animals but, has a chitinous cell wall and somatic structure like plants. Amoeba exhibits pseudopodial locomotion and heterotrophic mode of nutrition like animals but, has cellular structure with large vacuoles that resemble the plants. Bacteria locomote with its flagella but, has cellular structure with peptidoglycan cell wall and many plastids that resemble the plants. Viruses are known as the “Biologists Puzzle,” as they behave as both living and non-living at the same time.
Since, it was almost next to impossible for Biologists to classify all the living organisms under only two kingdoms, i.e. Kingdom Plantae and Kingdom Animalia, thus, the Five Kingdom classfication came into being. The Five Kingdom clssification had five kingdoms, i.e. Kingdom Monera, Kingdom Protista, Kingdom Fungi, Kingdom Plantae, Kingdom Animalia. Thus, the Five Kingdom classification solved the ambiguity that arose due to the Two Kingdom classification