Five Kingdoms: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Fun
Review: Although this is primarily intended to be an illustrated reference guide, it's a surprisingly fun one to thumb through. Part of that is the delight of looking at pictures and illustrations of some truly strange organisms (science fiction writers should really buy this book to see what genuinely alien creatures are like), but also due to the plethora of interesting facts.

I know that when I was reading through the section detailing the Animal phylla, I was struck by how many creatures -- entire phyllums -- get along without even rudimentary brains (or digestive systems, respiratory systems, circulatory systems, or even organs, altogether, in some cases). Likewise I was surprised to learn that only two phylla (including our own) ever developed winged flight.

The sections comprising the non-Animal kingdoms were of particular interest to me mainly for the simple reason that they invariably get little attention from most texts. At best, you'll usally find a chapter dealing with micro-organisms as a whole, and a brief chapter on plants. To see how much sheer diverity there is in just the Fungus kingdom is eye-opening.

I will note that the book does assume a basic level of biological literacy and that it sometimes throws jargon at the reader with little warning or explaination but, as a whole, this is a very accessible work and well worth having on one's shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Fun
Review: Although this is primarily intended to be an illustrated reference guide, it's a surprisingly fun one to thumb through. Part of that is the delight of looking at pictures and illustrations of some truly strange organisms (science fiction writers should really buy this book to see what genuinely alien creatures are like), but also due to the plethora of interesting facts.

I know that when I was reading through the section detailing the Animal phylla, I was struck by how many creatures -- entire phyllums -- get along without even rudimentary brains (or digestive systems, respiratory systems, circulatory systems, or even organs, altogether, in some cases). Likewise I was surprised to learn that only two phylla (including our own) ever developed winged flight.

The sections comprising the non-Animal kingdoms were of particular interest to me mainly for the simple reason that they invariably get little attention from most texts. At best, you'll usally find a chapter dealing with micro-organisms as a whole, and a brief chapter on plants. To see how much sheer diverity there is in just the Fungus kingdom is eye-opening.

I will note that the book does assume a basic level of biological literacy and that it sometimes throws jargon at the reader with little warning or explaination but, as a whole, this is a very accessible work and well worth having on one's shelf.

Rating:
Summary: WOW-- it's all linked.
Review: At first, a person like myself might seem somewhat hard to convince that all the 100's of thousands of species on the planet can be divided up into just five kingdoms or "Groups." However, by the half way mark I could not only see how this is true--more importantly I could understand--and agree with the author. What this truly gifted scientists has done is to "break down" the walls of convention and show people (even myself) how it all really worls. Lynn Margullis is the worthy sucessor to Charles Darwin. Period.

Rating:
Summary: WOW-- it's all linked.
Review: At first, a person like myself might seem somewhat hard to convince that all the 100's of thousands of species on the planet can be divided up into just five kingdoms or "Groups." However, by the half way mark I could not only see how this is true--more importantly I could understand--and agree with the author. What this truly gifted scientists has done is to "break down" the walls of convention and show people (even myself) how it all really worls. Lynn Margullis is the worthy sucessor to Charles Darwin. Period.

Rating:
Summary: Most comprehensive, yet phylogenetically out of date
Review: I recommend this book partly on the basis of the two page descriptions and line drawings of each phylum. But I am most impressed with the substantially less animal bias in the treatment of every form of life. Regardless of whether one believes in a five kingdom system or a ten or more kingdom system, this book gives fair coverage to the less celebrated protist groups.

But with all the recent molecular studies that could have served to compliment Lynn's endosymbiotic scenarios, I was disappointed to not see any grand synthesis. With respect to algal phylogenetic hypotheses, a college phycology text published in 1995 (Algae : An Introduction to Phycology by C. Van Den Hoek and others) was more up to date than this 1998 work. In fact some of the groupings made were definitely artificial even without the benefit of the most recent molecular data. Among the most disappointing findings was the lumping of some Heterokonts with choanoflagellates into a "Zoomastigota". The Heterokonts is a fairly diverse group that includes brown algae, diatoms, and water molds and others on the basis of their undulipodia (flagella)and molecular characters. Choanoflagellates are simple organisms that are said to resemble sponge cells, and thus have been proposed to share the most recent common ancestor with true animals. Though I have no problems accepting paraphyletic taxa, even then this "Zoomastigota" would be artificial if molecular evidence continues to suggest that animals (with choanoflagellates) and fungi are closer to each other than they are to heterokonts or green plants.

A less serious quibble that I have was the unnecessary splitting of the Desmids, spirogyra, et al. from Chlorophyta (all green algae). The phylogeny illustrated within this book implies that this subset of the green algae is more closely related to Rhodophyta (red algae) and slime molds than to other green algae. I guess either she chooses to ignore many other characters (morphology and molecular) in favor of a few overriding features, or she feels that classification need not have reflect evolutionary relationships (if so she should say so). But still, to her credit, she still provides a coverage for many groups such as foraminifers, haptophytes, and cryptophytes that have not been adequately studied to place into the phylogeny of life. As the science of life evolves, no book can be counted on as the last word.

Rating:
Summary: Life?s vast pageant
Review: This book is a stunning compendium of the range of life forms found on our planet. Margulis and Schwartz describe it as "a catalog of the world's living diversity." It is a vividly descriptive assortment of selected examples from the Five Kingdoms of life formulated by R.H. Whittiker. The authors stress how much new knowledge, particularly in the study of unicellular life forms, has been gained in recent years. They explain how classification identifies organisms and show how modern techniques have led to the expansion of life's kingdoms from two to five. A description of prokaryotes and eucaryotes is given, followed by the body of 92 phyla descriptions. The book is arranged to be either studied as a reference or browsed as an introduction to biological forms. Each entry is carefully organized with the type of information [environment, measurement scales, diagrams] in a consistent location.

However, this is more than simply a collection of illustrative examples of various organisms. The most fascinating chapter relates the authors' proposal to modify one of the standard classifications of life - the Protoctists, replacing Whittiker's Protists. "The Kingdom Protoctista is defined by exclusion," they state. "Its members are neither animals, plants, fungi nor procaryotes." Their common characteristics are nucleated cells, some kind of flagellum and live in an oxygenated atmosphere [unlike many unicellular forms which cannot tolerate oxygen. Their argument contends that many multicellular forms are more
directly related to these unicellular forms than they are to other multi-celled organisms. The new classification "also solves the problem of blurred boundaries that arises if the unicellular organisms are assigned to the multicellular kingdoms." They list 27 phyla [of 36 total]with diagrams exhibiting a range of bizarre structures and life cycles.

Another noteworthy entry is Trichoplax adhaerens. Remember the name of this creature - "it is the simplest of animals." Composed of but a few thousand cells, it is a dull gray body just visible to the unaided eye. In looking at the photo and diagram of this creature invokes a sense of wonder - this is, after all, a distance relative living in the nearest aquarium with the shad.

This book is a delight to browse following one of the authors' intents. Their second purpose, using this book as a reference, is even more admirably met. Clear photographs coupled with excellent diagrams, including typical environments of the selected specimens, add visual support to a readable text base. Any reader interested in the way life is structured and seeking insights into evolutionary development would do well to consider this book. It's not an academic text, but conveys a wealth of meaningful information.

Rating:
Summary: Life¿s vast pageant
Review: This book is a stunning compendium of the range of life forms found on our planet. Margulis and Schwartz describe it as "a catalog of the world's living diversity." It is a vividly descriptive assortment of selected examples from the Five Kingdoms of life formulated by R.H. Whittiker. The authors stress how much new knowledge, particularly in the study of unicellular life forms, has been gained in recent years. They explain how classification identifies organisms and show how modern techniques have led to the expansion of life's kingdoms from two to five. A description of prokaryotes and eucaryotes is given, followed by the body of 92 phyla descriptions. The book is arranged to be either studied as a reference or browsed as an introduction to biological forms. Each entry is carefully organized with the type of information [environment, measurement scales, diagrams] in a consistent location.

However, this is more than simply a collection of illustrative examples of various organisms. The most fascinating chapter relates the authors' proposal to modify one of the standard classifications of life - the Protoctists, replacing Whittiker's Protists. "The Kingdom Protoctista is defined by exclusion," they state. "Its members are neither animals, plants, fungi nor procaryotes." Their common characteristics are nucleated cells, some kind of flagellum and live in an oxygenated atmosphere [unlike many unicellular forms which cannot tolerate oxygen. Their argument contends that many multicellular forms are more
directly related to these unicellular forms than they are to other multi-celled organisms. The new classification "also solves the problem of blurred boundaries that arises if the unicellular organisms are assigned to the multicellular kingdoms." They list 27 phyla [of 36 total]with diagrams exhibiting a range of bizarre structures and life cycles.

Another noteworthy entry is Trichoplax adhaerens. Remember the name of this creature - "it is the simplest of animals." Composed of but a few thousand cells, it is a dull gray body just visible to the unaided eye. In looking at the photo and diagram of this creature invokes a sense of wonder - this is, after all, a distance relative living in the nearest aquarium with the shad.

This book is a delight to browse following one of the authors' intents. Their second purpose, using this book as a reference, is even more admirably met. Clear photographs coupled with excellent diagrams, including typical environments of the selected specimens, add visual support to a readable text base. Any reader interested in the way life is structured and seeking insights into evolutionary development would do well to consider this book. It's not an academic text, but conveys a wealth of meaningful information.

Rating:
Summary: fascinating!
Review: This wonderful book is an endless source of recondite, amusing and enlightening tidbits of information about the fantastic diversity of living things with which we share this earth. In organizing their catalogue of biodiversity around the highest taxonomic level, the phylum, the authors subtly communicate lessons that are both humbling and uplifting. Humbling because one realizes that the entire biological group of backboned creatures that we think of as the paradigmatic "animals" -- mammals, fish, reptiles, birds and amphibians -- is just one among dozens of broad categories of species that populate earth's complex living systems. In fact it appears that much animal life is either microscopic or vermiform. Uplifting because we come to understand that we are ultimately kin to and interdependent with this entire teeming, manifold, cornucopia of life. The presentation, including photos and drawings as well as text, is clear and elegant, providing a wealth of detail about the distinctive metabolisms, feeding habits, body forms, ecological roles and reproductive cycles found in each phylum. We learn, for example, that one species of the remarkably ugly Echiurans, or spoon worms -- which look like out- takes deemed too repulsive for the movie Eraserhead -- holds the world record for the most extreme difference between male and female forms: the male is a tiny dwarf form nestled entirely inside the female's body, which presumably allows him to avoid entirely his share of the housework. Some forms of the microscopic one-celled Zoomastigina dwell symbiotically in the intestines of insects, apparently digesting cellulose to yield nutrients for themselves and their hosts. Such are the divergent options, so different from the choices of most members of our own species, for making a living on this planet.