D. J. Scott D. J. Scott
SciencePhysicsChemistryOrganic ChemistryBiology

Biota



Scheme #1
For people who consider viruses to be lifeforms, but not descendants of cellular lifeforms.
Biota Cytota — cellular lifeforms. This would include the morphological groupings prokarya and eucarya, and the genetic groupings archaea and bacteria.
Acytota — this group would include viruses, and in some primordial life scenarios the ancestors of the cytota, making the acytote morphological condition the ancestral one for the biota, and thus making the acytota a paraphyletic grouping unless it were restricted solely to modern viruses.
Table #1 — This works as a morphological distinction, and it is possible it corresponds to natural genetic groupings as well.


Scheme #1a
Morphological Distinctions Only
Biota Cytota — cellular lifeforms. Prokarya — cellular lifeforms without a nucleus.
Eukarya — cellular lifeforms with a nucleus.
Acytota — viruses
Table #2 —


Scheme #1b
Alternate morphological scheme that might also correspond to natural genetic groupings.
Biota Cytota — cellular lifeforms. Archaea — cellular lifeforms with chromatin (including the eucarya).
Bacteria — cellular lifeforms without chromatin.
Acytota — viruses
Table #3 — This works as a morphological distinction, and it is possible it corresponds to natural genetic groupings as well.


Scheme #1bα
For those who consider viruses to be their own branch of the Tree of Life, and who consider the Eucarya and Archaea to be sister-groups.
Biota Cytota — cellular lifeforms. Arcarya — cellular lifeforms with chromatin Eucarya
Archaea
Bacteria — cellular lifeforms without chromatin.
Acytota — viruses
Table #4 — This works as a morphological distinction, and it is possible it corresponds to natural genetic groupings as well.

Scheme #2
For people who do not consider viruses to be lifeforms, but do consider them to be descendants of lifeforms.
Biota Eubiota — “true life” self-reproducing, cellular life.
Pseudobiota — “quasi-life” viruses, organelles.
Table #5 —

Scheme #3
For people who do not consider viruses to be lifeforms, and also do not consider viruses to have evolved from lifeforms.
Biomorpha Biota “true life” self-reproducing, cellular life.
Pseudobiota
Table #6 —

Immediate Phylogeny

Parent Group
Biomorpha

Sister Group
Pseudobiota

Daughter Groups
Eubiota
Pseudobiota
Cytota
Acytota

⚑ = You Are Here.

Evolution Links
The Phylogeny Explorer Project
Tree of Life Web Project

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