Learn Intext Exercise 7.2 with Free Lessons & Tips

The kind of cells that living organisms are made up of is a more basic characteristic for classifying organisms, than on the basis of their habitat. This is because on the basis of the kind of cells, we can classify all living organisms into eukaryotes and prokaryotes. On the other hand, a habitat or the place where an organism lives is a very broad characteristic to be used as the basis for classifying organisms. For example, animals that live on land include earthworms, mosquitoes, butterfly, rats, elephants, tigers, etc. These animals do not resemble each other except for the fact that they share a common habitat. Therefore, the nature or kind of a cell is considered to be a fundamental characteristic for the classification of living organisms.

The primary characteristic on which the first division of organisms is made is the nature of the cell. It is considered to be the fundamental characteristic for classifying all living organisms. Nature of the cell includes the presence or absence of membrane-bound organelles. Therefore, on the basis of this fundamental characteristic, we can classify all living organisms into two broad categories of eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Then, further classification is made on the basis of cellularity or modes of nutrition.