Classification of Organisms: What Makes Bacteria Different from Archaea?

Organisms can be classified into one of three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, or Eukarya. What characteristics distinguish Bacteria from Archaea?

A. Organisms in the domain Archaea have cell walls, and those in the domain Bacteria do not.

B. Organisms in the domain Bacteria have nuclei, and those in the domain Archaea do not.

C. Organisms in the domain Bacteria are prokaryotes, and those in the domain Archaea are eukaryotes.

D. The DNA sequences of Archaea genes are more similar to eukaryotes than to bacteria.

E. Organisms in the domain Archaea are more likely than those in the domain Bacteria to be disease-causing pathogens.

Answer:

Bacteria and Archaea have key differences in their characteristics including the presence or absence of cell walls and being prokaryotes or eukaryotes, with Archaea being more similar to eukaryotes in terms of DNA sequences.

The characteristics that distinguish Bacteria from Archaea are:

• Organisms in the domain Archaea have cell walls, and those in the domain Bacteria do not.
• Organisms in the domain Bacteria are prokaryotes, and those in the domain Archaea are eukaryotes.
• The DNA sequences of Archaea genes are more similar to eukaryotes than to bacteria.

These key differences in characteristics help in classifying organisms into the domains of Bacteria and Archaea.