Synonyms
Definition
Plural, phyla. A phylum is a high-order taxonomic category in the hierarchical biological classification system. Situated below the domain and kingdom levels, it is above the taxonomic level of class. The term Division is used as synonym, particularly in botany. In prokaryotic microbiology, although the term phylum is preferred for taxa including cultivated members, the expression “Candidate Division” is used for clusters of environmental sequences that, phylogenetically, constitute groups equivalent to phyla for described species.
History
The term was coined in 1876 to mean a “division of the plant or animal kingdom” by the French naturalist Georges Dagobert, Baron Cuvier (1769–1832), from the Greek phylon “race, stock,” related to phyle “tribe, clan,” and phylein “bring forth.”
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Moreira, D., López-García, P. (2011). Phylum. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1211
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1211
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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