How Scientists Classify Things

Living

Scientists Start Classifying Things by…

Non - Living

But there are so many living things…

WE MUST CLASSIFY THEM MORE…

Classification System

• Scientists start by breaking plants/animals into kingdoms.

• Scientist continue to sort these groups into even smaller groups.

• Each time they sort, they use the organism’s features to decide whether or not the organism belongs to the group.

• The largest classification group would be the “kingdom”

Scientists classify all living things into six major categories called kingdoms.

An organism may be classified according to the number of cells and cell parts it has, where it lives, and how it obtains food.

Example how Scientists organize the Animal Kingdom

• All animals belong to the same kingdom.

• Scientists use the smallest two groups to name organisms.

• A genus is a group of closely related living things.

• A species is a group of similar organisms that can mate produce offspring.

Scientists divide the animal kingdom into two main groups.

We then break up vertebrates and invertebrates

Mammalshave fur or hair

breathe with lungs

feed their young milk

Mammals

Platypus

Echidna Dolphins

Orangutan Bat

Birdshave two legs

most fly with wings

hatch from eggs

Birds

Black-capped chickadee

Penguins

Eagle

Fishlive only in water

breathe with gills

are born live or hatch eggs

Fish

Bubble-eyed goldfish

Salmon

Great-white shark

Reptilesland animals that

have scales

has lungs for breathing

hatches from eggs

Reptiles

Corn snake

Sea turtle

lizardAlligator

AmphibiansAnimals that

usually live first on water and later on land

lay eggs

have moist skin

AMPHIBIANS

Amazon Horned Frog

Cave Salamander

Caecilians

Who am I????I have two legs.

I fly with wings.

I hatch from eggs.

Who am I?I have fur or hair.

I feed my young milk.

I breathe with lungs.

Who am I?I live only in water.

I breathe with gills.

My young are born live or hatched from eggs.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian

or Reptile?

I am a mammal. My body is warm and furry. I feed my babies on milk. I give birth

to live young.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish,

Amphibian or Reptile?

I am a mammal. My body is covered in hair, or fur. I feed my babies on milk. I

give birth to live young.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian

or Reptile?

I am an amphibian. My body is moist and smooth. I lay eggs. I like to live in or near

to water.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian

or Reptile?

I am a bird. My body is warm and covered with feathers. I lay eggs

which hatch out into chicks.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian or Reptile?

Although I have wings, I am in fact a mammal. My body is covered in hair, not feathers. I feed my babies on milk. I do

not lay eggs.

I am a mammal. If you stand very close to me, you will see I have hairs on my body. I feed my babies on milk. I do not lay eggs.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian or

Reptile?

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian or

Reptile?

I am a reptile. My body is covered in dry scales. I lay eggs.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian or

Reptile?

I am a bird. My body is warm and covered with feathers. I lay eggs

which hatch out into chicks.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian or

Reptile?

I am a fish. My body is cold to touch and is covered in scales. I lay eggs. I use gills to

breathe with under water.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian or

Reptile?

I am a reptile. My body is covered in dry scales. I lay eggs.

I am an amphibian. My body is moist and smooth. I lay eggs. I like to live in or near

to water.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian or

Reptile?

I am a mammal. My body is warm and furry. I feed my babies on milk. I give birth

to live young.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian

or Reptile?

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian or

Reptile?

I am a reptile. My body is covered in dry scales. I lay eggs.

What am I?Mammal, Bird, Fish, Amphibian

or Reptile?

I am a fish. My body is cold to touch and is covered in scales. I lay eggs. I use gills to

breathe with under water.

InvertebratesAnimals that are ______________________ have NO backbone

Most of the animals in the world are invertebrates.

• I can identify how plants are classified• I can classify plants

Plants

How are plants classified?

We start with…How they transport water and nutrients:Vascular or Non-

Vascular

Vascular Plants – Have tube like structures that transport water and

nutrientsCan grow tall

FernsCelery

Moss

Non-Vascular Plants – Pass nutrients from one cell to the nextLow to the ground

Vascular –vs- Nonvascular

We sort those by:

How they reproduce:

Seeds or Spores

After sorting vascular and non vascular…

Example how Scientists organize the Plant Kingdom

• Scientists sort plants in a variety of ways, based on how they transport water and nutrients or how they reproduce.

• Vascular plants have tubelike structures that transport water and nutrients within the plant. Ex: Bamboo & Trees

• Nonvascular plants grow low to the grown and can pass water and nutrients only from one cell to the next. Ex: Moss & Hornworts

Flowering plants and cone-bearing plants reproduce by producing seeds.

Ferns and mosses reproduce by producing spores.

Classifying Plants by flowers, seeds, and spores

Ferns and mosses reproduce by producing spores.

Fern with spores