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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1–2Cite as

Domain (Taxonomy)

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Synonyms

Empire; Primary kingdom; Superkingdom

Definition

Domain is the highest taxonomic rank in the hierarchical biological classification system, above the kingdom level. There are three domains of life, the Archaea, the Bacteria, and the Eukarya. Organisms from Archaea and Bacteria have a prokaryotic cell structure, whereas organisms from the domain Eukarya (eukaryotes) encompass cells with a nucleus confining the genetic material from the cytoplasm.

Overview

The term “domain” was introduced by Carl R. Woese et al. (1990) together with the proposal of a natural classification system for all life on Earth, including microorganisms, which had previously escaped any attempt of classification based on evolutionary relationships (Woese et al. 1990). Woese’s proposal to class life in three major phylogenetic domains was an attempt to institutionalize the three major phylogenetic groupings of organisms that he had previously observed and defined (Woese and Fox 1977) based on differences...

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References and Further Reading

  • Sapp J (2009) The new foundations of evolution. Oxford University Press, New York, p 425

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  • Woese C, Fox GE (1977) Phylogenetic structure of the prokaryotic domain: the primary kingdoms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 74:83–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woese CR, Kandler O, Wheelis ML (1990) Towards a natural system of organisms. Proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria and Eucarya. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 87:4576–4579

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité d’Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, CNRS UMR8079 Université Paris-Sud 11, bâtiment 360, 91405, Paris, Orsay cedex, France

    Purificación López-García

Authors
  1. Purificación López-García
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Purificación López-García .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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López-García, P. (2014). Domain (Taxonomy). In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_454-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_454-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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