CHAPTER 3 



Bacteria Are Classified as Plants 



DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLANTS AND ANIMALS 

 CLASSIFICATION OF BACTERIA 



DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLANTS AND ANIMALS 



Before the perfection of ground lenses opened up a new vista 

 for scientists to explore, it was a relatively simple matter for an 

 individual to distinguish a plant from an animal. After all, an 

 animal was an animal, and it was a mighty peculiar person who 

 could not tell a plant from an animal! The microscope, however, 

 made the distinction more complex. Since bacteria have some 

 characteristics of each kingdom, the question of where to place 

 them in a systematic scheme was a good topic for brisk debate during 

 the infancv of this new branch of science. As evidence continued 

 to accumulate, it became increasingly clear that more plant traits 

 were being exhibited by bacteria than were the animal char- 

 acteristics. Biologists today generally agree that we should con- 

 sider these microorganisms as plants. However, the decision is 

 not a unanimous one; a few die-hards are still a bit hesitant in 

 making the concession. 



It is only a natural reaction for beginning students in bac- 

 teriology to evidence surprise that bacteria are plants, especially 

 after they view motility of microorganisms under the microscope 

 for the first time. Who ever saw a plant that could swim under 



