prokaryotes

Also known as Prokaryota

thumb|upright=1.35|alt=image of prokaryotic cell|Diagram of a prokaryotic cell, a Bacteria|bacterium with a flagellum

AI overview

Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms, like bacteria, that lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound structures found in more complex cells. They are among the most abundant life forms on Earth and play crucial roles in breaking down organic matter, cycling nutrients, and living in nearly every environment from soil to ocean depths.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~17 min read

Encyclopedic overview

12 sections

Contents

Structure
Reproduction and DNA transfer
Colonies and biofilms
Environment
The first organisms
Evolution
Taxonomy and phylogeny
As distinct from eukaryotes
Eukaryotes as Archaea
See also
References
External links

thumb|upright=1.35|alt=image of prokaryotic cell|Diagram of a prokaryotic cell, a Bacteria|bacterium with a flagellum

A prokaryote (; less commonly spelled procaryote) is a microorganism whose usually single cell lacks a nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles. The word prokaryote comes from the Ancient Greek (), meaning "before", and (), meaning "nut" or "kernel". In the earlier two-empire system, prokaryotes formed the empire Prokaryota. In the three-domain system, based upon molecular phylogenetics, prokaryotes are divided into two domains: Bacteria and Archaea. A third domain, Eukaryota, consists of organisms with cell nuclei.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “prokaryotes” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.