Question

How would a scientist justify choosing cellular organisation as a more fundamental characteristic for the basis of classification rather than the presence of xylem and phloem?

Answer 1

Cellular organisation whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic and unicellular or multicellular is a basic feature of every living organism. Xylem and phloem are present only in vascular plants and are specialised tissues. Therefore, cellular organisation provides a broader and more fundamental basis that can be applied to classify all living organisms, unlike xylem and phloem which apply only to certain plants.