kingdom

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kingdom In traditional classification systems, the highest category into which organisms are classified. The original two kingdoms, Plantae (see plant) and Animalia (see animal), have been supplemented by others, and most modern classification systems recognize five kingdoms: Bacteria (or Prokaryotae; see bacteria), Protoctista (including protozoa and algae), Fungi (see fungi), Plantae, and Animalia. However, the discovery of the archaebacteria (see Archaea) has led taxonomists to suggest a superordinate category in the taxonomic hierarchy – the domain.

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