The main difference between kingdom and phylum is that kingdom is the second highest taxonomic level, just below domain, whereas phylum is the third highest taxonomic level, below kingdom.
Kingdom and phylum are two taxonomic levels that are above the species in taxonomic ranking. There are five main kingdoms; Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, and Monera. In 1735, Carl Linnaeus introduced the taxonomic ranking levels of organisms. These include kingdom, phylum or division, class, order, family, genus, and species.
Key Areas Covered
- What is Kingdom
- Definition, Features, Importance
- What is Phylum
- Definition, Features, Importance
- Similarities Between Kingdom and Phylum
- Outline of Common Features
- Difference Between Kingdom and Phylum
- Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Kingdom, Phylum, Taxonomic Ranking 
What is Kingdom
The kingdom is the second highest taxonomic ranking that occurs below Domain. Phylum divides the kingdom further into small taxonomic groups. Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, and Monera are the five kingdoms in which all organisms are divided. Out of that, there are four eukaryotic kingdoms – Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, and Protista, while the kingdom Monera is a prokaryotic kingdom.
Figure 1: Five Kingdoms
Furthermore, the kingdom Animalia contains multicellular, eukaryotic organisms. The kingdom Plantae, on the other hand, contains photosynthetic eukaryotes. The kingdom of Fungi contains eukaryotic organisms that include microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. Furthermore, the kingdom Protista contains any eukaryotic organism (that is, an organism whose cells contain a cell nucleus) that is not an animal, plant, or fungus. Finally, the kingdom Monera contains all prokaryotes.
What is Phylum
Phylum is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. It is equivalent to division in plants. Class, order, family, genus, and species are taxonomic rankings below the phylum. Generally, the animal kingdom Animalia contains about 31 phyla, the plant kingdom Plantae contains about 14 phyla, and the fungus kingdom Fungi contains about 8 phyla.
Figure 2: Taxonomic Rankings
Moreover, a phylum is a grouping of organisms based on the general specialization of the body plan. Therefore, it has a certain degree of morphological or developmental similarity. It is also the phenotypic definition of the phylum. However, in the phylogenetic definition of phylum, it is a group of organisms with a certain degree of evolutionary relatedness.
Similarities Between Kingdom and Phylum
- Kingdom and phylum are two higher taxonomic ranking levels of species.
- In addition, they group living organisms according to evolutionary relationships.
Difference Between Kingdom and Phylum
Definition
Kingdom refers to the second highest taxonomic rank, just below domain, and contains smaller groups called phyla while, phylum refers to a principal taxonomic category that ranks above class and below kingdom, equivalent to division in botany.
Significance
In general, the kingdom is the second highest taxonomic level below the domain, while phylum is the third highest taxonomic level next to the kingdom.
Division of Organisms
Moreover, the kingdom divides organisms according to their evolutionary relationships while the phylum divides organisms according to their phenotypic relationships.
Conclusion
In brief, the kingdom is the second highest taxonomic ranking of living organisms. There are five kingdoms: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, and Monera. Moreover, they are classified according to their evolutionary relationships. On the other hand, a phylum divides organisms according to their phenotypic relationships. However, it occurs below the kingdom level. Significantly, each kingdom contains several phyla. Therefore, the main difference between kingdom and phylum is their level of classification.
References:
- Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, August 17). Kingdom (biology). Wikipedia. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, August 18). Phylum. Wikipedia. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
Image Courtesy:
- “Tree of Living Organisms 2” Maulucioni y Doridí – Own Work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
- “Maulucioni y Doridí ” By Peter Halasz – Own Work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
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