Archaeal-eubacterial mergers in the origin of Eukarya: phylogenetic classification of life.

1996/02/06 by Lynn Margulis · 6 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Archaea #Bacteria #Biology #Clade #Ecology #Evolutionary biology #Gene #Genetics #Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies #Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology #Phylogenetic nomenclature #Phylogenetic tree #Phylogenetics #Protist diversity and phylogeny #Three-domain system #Tree of life (biology)

paper · doi:10.1073/pnas.93.3.1071

openalex publication_date 1996/02/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

A symbiosis-based phylogeny leads to a consistent, useful classification system for all life. "Kingdoms" and "Domains" are replaced by biological names for the most inclusive taxa: Prokarya (bacteria) and Eukarya (symbiosis-derived nucleated organisms). The earliest Eukarya, anaerobic mastigotes, hypothetically originated from permanent whole-cell fusion between members of Archaea (e.g., Thermoplasma-like organisms) and of Eubacteria (e.g., Spirochaeta-like organisms). Molecular biology, life-history, and fossil record evidence support the reunification of bacteria as Prokarya while subdividing Eukarya into uniquely defined subtaxa: Protoctista, Animalia, Fungi, and Plantae.

Citations

• Eukaryotes with no mitochondria
• Towards a natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya.
• The classification of lower organisms
• Root of the universal tree of life based on ancient aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase gene duplications.

Cited by

• The Natural Evolutionary Relationships among Prokaryotes
• What are archaebacteria: life's third domain or monoderm prokaryotes related to Gram‐positive bacteria? A new proposal for the classification of prokaryotic organisms
• The enigma of the origin of life and its timing
• The origin and evolution of model organisms
• The origin of eukaryotes: the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
• Biological life cycle [wikipedia]