Five Kingdoms

An all-inclusive catalogue of the world's living diversity, "Five Kingdoms" defines and describes the major divisions of nature's five great kingdoms--bacteria, protoctists, animals, fungi, and plants--using a modern classification scheme that is consistent with both the fossil record and molecular data. Generously illustrated and easy to follow, it not only allows students to sample the full range of life forms inhabiting our planet but to familiarize themselves with the taxonomic theories by which all organisms' origins and distinctive characteristics are traced and classified. This completely revised and updated third edition includes an introduction by Stephen Jay Gould. * New ideas on molecular systematics, symbiogenisis, and the place of microbes in the evolution of life * Newly expanded chapter openings that define each kingdom and place its members in context in time and space * Definitions of terms in the glossary and, now, also appropriately placed throughout the book * A new table comparing the main features of each kingdom, showing the logic of the overall classification scheme * A list of prehistoric dioramas in science museums and in U.S. national parks and monuments guiding readers to trips to the past * A list of websites directing students to additional information

About the Author :
Lynn Margulis is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is the author of "Symbiosis in Cell Evolution" and, with Dorion Sagan, co-author of "Origins of Sex, What Is Life?," and "What Is Sex?" Karlene V. Schwartz teaches in the biology department at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and is a professional photographer of natural history.

Review :
"Margulis and Schwartz have generated here that rarest of intellectual treasures--something truly original and useful . . . It is remarkable that no one had previously thought of producing such a comprehensive, obvious, and valuable document."--Stephen Jay Gould, from the Introduction "A source for innocent and expert alike . . . There is no other comparable guide to the winding path of organic evolution overall . . . A terse visual index to the living library of 10 million species."--"Scientific American" "A sampler of life that does its subject justice . . . Margulis and Schwartz could (and should) be on every biologist's shelves."--"New Scientist" "Offers an illustrated reference to both microbes and macroscopic organisms. Brief essays introduce broad outlines of kingdoms and phyla. Entries on specific organisms give information on appearance, environment, relations to other organisms, and how scientists group them, and include b&w photos and diagrams. An introduction explains classification systems. Includes lists of museums, geological sites, and Web sites, plus a glossary and lists of phyla and genera assigned to phyla . . . Useful for students of biology at any level."--"Book News" "One of the backbones of a biology collection, as it lays out the variety of life in illustrations and text."--"VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)"