is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of

organismsBiological classification is

a form of scientific taxonomy

I. How classification beganA.) Organizing items can help you:

a.) understand them better

b.) find them

ex.) CD or DVD collection,

Sneakers and

clothing in your closet

B.) Biologists want a better understanding of organisms to organize them.

TOOLS SCIENTIST TOOLS SCIENTIST USE TO USE TO ORGANIZEORGANIZE

CLASSIFICATIONCLASSIFICATIONGrouping of Grouping of objects or objects or information based information based on similaritieson similarities

TAXONOMYTAXONOMYTaxo Taxo = arrange= arrangeNomy Nomy = ordered = ordered knowledge knowledge

The National Science Foundation’s “Tree of Life” project estimates that

there could be anywhere from 5 million to 100 million species on the planet, but science has only identified

about 2 million.

Think about an elephant.  Develop a mental image of it.  How would you describe it to someone who has never seen one?  Take a moment to consider carefully . . .

Not surprisingly, biologists also classify organisms into different categories mostly by judging degrees of

apparent similarity and difference that they can see.  The assumption is that the greater the degree of

physical similarity, the closer the biological relationship.

Modern biological classification is based on the work of Carolus

Linnaeus, who grouped species according to

shared physical characteristics

Similarities in structure

Similarities in chemical and genetic makeup

(similar proteins, similar DNA)

Similarities in the stages of

development of embryos

http://www.planetbob.asu.edu/

7 Levels of Classification

Linnaeus’s system of classification

http://www.ric.edu/faculty/ptiskus/Six_Kingdoms/Index.htm

http://www.bionet-intl.org/opencms/opencms/caseStudies/default.jsp

Classification

• Linnaeus system contains levels.

• It’s a hierarchical system meaning they arraigned from largest or the most general to the smallest or most specific.

Using Linnaeus's Idea of a hierarchical system

• Arrange these categories from the largest and most general to smallest and most specific:

– United states– New York State– North America– Nassau County– 230 Poppy Ave.– Franklin Square

– Planet Earth

Answer:

Planet Earth

North America

United states

New York State

Nassau County

Franklin Square

230 Poppy Ave.

The 7 levels of Classification• KingdomKingdom = = KingKing

• PhylumPhylum = = PhillipPhillip

• ClassClass == CameCame

• Order Order = = OverOver

• Family Family == FromFrom

• GenusGenus = = Germany Germany • Species Species == SkippingSkipping

Each of these levels is called a taxa.

Kingdom

Species

ClassOrderFamilyGenus

Phylum

Kingdom Phylum

Class Order

Family Genus

Species

Largest groups

Smallest groups and most

closely related to each other

Kings

Play

Chess

On

Fine

Green

Stools

King

Philip

Came

Over

From

Germany

Skipping

Naming organisms

Before Linnaeus developed his naming system, plants and animals were named by a series of Latin words that described the physical appearance of the organism. This was very confusing. For example, let’s look at the first name of the honey bee.

Apis pubescens, thorace subgriseo, abdomine fusco, pedibus posticis glabris utrinque margine ciliatus. This means “fuzzy bee, light gray middle, brown body, smooth hind legs that have a small bag edged with tiny hairs.” Linnaeus named it Apis mellifera which means “honey-bearing bee.”

is the formal system of naming specific species

Binomial nomenclature

each species name is in Latin and has two parts

Homo sapiens

Two-word naming system

genus specific epithet

Group of Describes similar

characteristic of species species

Binomial nomenclaturecontinued…

Examples

Genus specific epithet

Homo sapiens = humans

* Homo means “Same” homology

* Sapiens means “wise”

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammal

Order Primate

Family Homoide

Genus Homo

Species sapiens

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Cordata

Class Mammalia

Order Carnivora

Family Canidae

Genus Canis

Species Lupus (the wolf)

Canis lupus

Procyon lotor

Drosophila melanogaster

http://www.curioustaxonomy.net/puns/puns.html

Kingdom• Is the largest and most abundant catergory • There are five (5) kingdoms :

1. Plantae (Plants)2. Animalia (Animals)3. Fungi4. Protista (Protists)5. Monera

Phylum

• Includes many different organisms that share important characteristics

• Division of a Kingdom

Class

• Division of phylum

Order

• Division of a Class

Family• Division of a order

Genus: division of a family

Species: Most specific and is a division of genus

These organisms can interbreed (reproduce)

Summary

• 1. Which is th e

Do you recall:

• When Linnaeus developed his system of classification, there were only two kingdoms, Plants and Animals.

• But the use of the microscope led to the discovery of new organisms and the identification of differences in cells. A two-kingdom system was no longer useful.

Today the system of classification includes Five kingdoms.

• Five Kingdoms:– Plants– Animals– Protists– Fungi– Monera

How are organism placed into their kingdoms?

• Cell type, complex or simple

(prokaryotic or eukaryotic)

• Their ability to make food

(nutrition)

• The number of cells in their body

(multi cellular of unicellular)

Plant Kingdom

• Examples : flowering plant mosses, and ferns.

• Cell Type: Eukaryotes

• They are Producers so they make their own food (Autotrophic nutrition)

• They are all multicellular

More about Plant kingdom

• over 250,000 species

• Is the second largest kingdom

• Plant species range from the tiny green mosses to giant trees

Without plants, life on Earth would not exist!

• Plants feed almost all the heterotrophs (organisms that eat other organisms) on Earth. WOW!

Animal Kingdom

• Contain : is the largest kingdom with over 1 million known species.

• Cell Type: Eukaryotes

• They rely on other organisms for their food (heterotrophs )

• They are all multicellular

More about Animal kingdom• Members of the animal

kingdom are found in the most diverse environments in the world.

Protista Kingdom

• Contain : Slime molds and algae • Cell Type: Eukaryotes

• Some rely on other organisms for their food (heterotrophs) and some make their own food (autotrophs)

• Most are unicellular and multicellular

More about Protists

• Sometimes called the odds and ends kingdom because its members are so different from one another. Approx 250,000 species

• include all microscopic organisms that are not bacteria, not animals, not plants and not fungi.

Fungi Kingdom • Contain : Mushrooms, mold and mildew

• Cell Type: Eukaryotes

• fungi cannot make their own food, most get it from decaying soil. (heterotrophs)

• They are all multicellular

More about Fungi

• Some fungi taste great and

others can kill you!

• Only about 200,000 species of fungi have been described of the estimated 1-1.5 million species

Monera Kingdom • Contain : True bacteria and blue-green

algae.

• Cell Type: Prokaryotic

• Heterotrophs and Autotrophs

• They are all Unicellular

More about Monera

• 10,000 species• grow practically everywhere, including your mouth

and digestive tract, the root nodules of legumes and the sun-baked boulders of arid deserts