In R.H. Whittaker's Five Kingdom Classification, fungi were removed from the plant kingdom and placed in a distinct kingdom of their own. Which of the following pairs of main criteria primarily justified this separation?

Step-by-step solution

Earlier classification systems placed fungi and green plants together despite fundamental differences. When Whittaker's criteria were applied, fungi were separated into Kingdom Fungi primarily due to two major differences: 1. Mode of nutrition: Fungi are heterotrophic, whereas green plants are autotrophic. 2. Cell structure: Fungi possess a chitinous cell wall, whereas green plants have a cellulosic cell wall. Body organisation is not the primary distinguishing factor here, as both groups largely consist of multice