Question 4 — How would a scientist justify - Questions at the end of the chapter - Chapter 12 - Patterns in Life: Diversity and Classification

Last updated at July 16, 2026 by

Question 4
How would a scientist justify choosing cellular organisation as a more fundamental characteristic for the basis of classification rather than the presence of xylem and phloem?
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  • Cellular organisation (prokaryote/eukaryote, uni/multicellular) applies to all living things, so it is a truly fundamental criterion.
  • Xylem and phloem are found only in some plants, so they cannot be used to classify animals, fungi or microbes — making them a narrow, less basic criterion.
A Fundamental Criterion Cellular organisation fits all life Xylem and phloem occur only in some plants So cell organisation is more basic
Back to: 12.3.1 Some criteria to classify living organisms
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