Question

Viruses contain genetic material like living organisms but lack cellular organisation. Which features prevent them from fitting into the five kingdom system? What does this tell us about the limitations of classification systems?

Answer 1

Viruses lack a cell membrane, cytoplasm, organelles and ribosomes, and they can reproduce only inside a host cell. They do not show independent metabolism. This tells us that classification systems based on cellular features cannot accommodate non-cellular entities like viruses, showing that every classification system has limitations.