Lesson 3

Making Sense of Our

Biological World
Learning Objectives:
• Distinguish the different classification systems

• Identify the distinctive characteristics of a specific taxon

relative to other taxa

• Explain how species are named using the binomial

structure

• Differentiate the 3-Domain Scheme from the 5-Kingdom

Scheme of classification of living things
 Lesson 3.1
HISTORICAL VIEW ON
LIFE’S CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM
 2 million species
have only been identified, named, and classified

8.7 million species

(6.5 million species on land and 2.2 million in oceans)
HAVE NOT BEEN DISCOVERED AND IDENTIFIED
- Census of Marine Life, August 24, 2011
 13 million species
possibly live on Earth; 1.75 million have been described
- UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Some scientists still believe that Earth houses

10 to 100 million different kinds

of organisms
CLASSIFICATION is the process of grouping organisms
using a multilevel approach based on their similarities.

TAXONOMY is the science of naming extant organisms

(those that are living today) as well as extinct species (those
who have died) and classifying them into logical groups.

Taxonomy comes from the root word taxis, which means

“arrangement”.
Aristotle’s Classification System
• Primeval system based on “harmful”
and “nonharmful” organisms and edible
and nonedible plants
• Sometime during 300BC, Aristotle
classified organisms into those with red
blood and those without
• He classified organisms as
plants/animals
• Animals were classified based on where
they lived; plants were based on stem
differences
• This crude system lasted for 2000 years
 Polynomial System of Classification
• expanded Aristotle’s classification by Greeks and Romans
• Basic units – cats, oaks, and horses; these units began to be called genera “group”
• Cats (Felis), Horses (Equus), Oaks (Quercus)
• Polynomials – organisms’ name which is made up of about 12 or more Latin words
strung together
• Middle Ages
 The Linnean System of
Classification
◍ Aristotle’s classification system was replaced by naturalists because it
was unable to provide an adequate coverage of all organisms.
◍ The polynomial names was cumbersome; the system had been confusing
◍ In 1758, a Swedish doctor and botanist, Carolus Linnaeus, published a
book, Systema Naturae that contains his system of assigning a specific
name to species.
◍ Two components: A genus name such as Homo, and a specific identifier
or epithet, such as sapiens
◍ His naming system is called binomial nomenclature, “two names”
◍ Scientific naming has been standardized, and used until today.
Carl von Linné / Carolus Linnaeaus
 The Linnean System of Classification
by Carl Linné
◍ Taxonomy categorizes organism into
logical groups
◍ Linnaeaus was also responsible for
proposing the placement of organisms
into a seven-level hierarchical system
based on their form and structure, from
general to most specific level.
◍ These levels are kingdom, phylum,
class, order, family, genus, and species.
 Modern System of
Classification
◍ SYSTEMATICS – analyzes the diversity of organisms in the context of their
natural relationships; it incorporates taxonomy and phylogenetics
◍ PHYLOGENETICS – science that focuses on the evolutionary history of a
group of species
◍ They work hand in hand to produce a more accurate depiction of tree of life
◍ In systematics, phylogenists use fossils, homologous structures,
embryological similarities, life cycle information, chromosomes, protein
composition, and DNA sequences to establish evolutionary ancestry.
◍ Convergent evolution involves two
unrelated species that can evolve
similar traits, but the Linnaean system
does not account for this type of
evolutionary similarity.
Ex: giant panda and red panda
◍ Molecular biologists today
reclassified red panda to be more
closely related with raccoons than the
giant panda, even of they have “panda”
as part of their common name.
 Lesson 3.2

THE BINOMIAL NAMING OF

ORGANISMS
 BINOMIAL NOMENCLATURE
binomial nomenclature (bi “two”, nomen “name”, calatus “list”)

Having a common way of naming organism, such as the

binomial nomenclature, allows scientists to effectively
communicate and exchange scientific information in spite of
their geographical and cultural differences.
 Homo sapiens – Lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars are all classified
human’s scientific name under the genus, Panthera.

Homo is its genus (genera) Panthera animals share common characteristics

a classification or grouping such as large body size, ability to roar, being a keen
that contains similar, swimmer, and sharp teeth and retractable claws for
closely related organisms. hunting prey.
The second name in the scientific name is the specific epithet
referring to the distinctive feature or descriptor of the organism,
usually their appearance, the name of the scientists who first
described them, or the native location of the species.

Writing the scientific name

Scientific name is written in italics or underlined.
The first letter of the genus is capitalized, the
rest are in lowercase.

Printed manuscripts – italicized

Written by hand – underlined

Scientific names are in Latin words.

 Taxonomists name organisms using Latinized words that describe
the organism, their place of location, or their discoverer.

The flowering plant The bird Greater Antillean The Philippine gliding lizard,
liverwort, Hepatica grackle, Quiscalus niger is Draco rizali, is discovered by Dr.
transsilvanica because its called as such because it is Jose Rizal.
lobes are shaped like a liver. black in color.
Several animal and
plant species were Phalaenopsis philippinensis, Bubo philippinensis, Philippine eagle owl
named with Philippine orchid found in Luzon
“philippinensis”
because they were
first identified or are
endemic in the
Philippines.

Sus philippinensis, a warty pig in

Naja philippinensis, Philippine cobra
Luzon, Mindoro and Palawan
 Lesson 3.3

THE HIERARCHY OF
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION
“
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family,
Genus, Species
Mnemonics:
Kings Play Chess On Fuzzy Green Stools
King Phillip Came Over For Good Spaghetti
• Organisms are classified into eight levels, domain is the highest category. They are
categorized in a broad group followed by placing them into more specific groups.
• The more classification levels that two organism share, the more common
characteristics they commonly share as well.
• A taxon is a group with any rank (ex: Domain Bacteria, Class Mammalia, Order Aves)
• Under domains are kingdoms, and within kingdoms, there are phyla (singular:
phylum), microbiologists and botanists used division instead of phylum.
• Organisms that are placed in the same phyla are based on the nature of their
structure, metabolism, and biochemical characteristics.
• Within phyla, there are classes. For example, in phylum Chordata (animals with
backbones) we have seven classes: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, 3 different
kinds of fish.
• Within classes, there are orders. The order Carnivora under class Mammalia refers to
meat-eating animals.
• Within orders are families. And each family contains one or more genera.
 The bottom row shows how the leopard is placed with
the many organisms under the domain category. As you
move up the different levels, there are fewer kinds of
organisms that the leopard shares characteristics with.
“
 Lesson 3.4

DOMAINS OF THE
LIVING WORLD
“
 History of
the Kingdom 1753: Two-kingdom
System classification
(plants and animals)

1866: German biologist

Ernst Haeckel proposed
the categorization of all
single-celled organisms
into Kingdom Protista
 History of 1938: American biologist
the Kingdom Herbert Copeland argued
System that prokaryotes deserve
their own kingdom, which
was called Kingdom
Monera.

1959: American biologist

Robert Whittaker
proposed that FUNGI such
as mushrooms and molds
must be placed in their own
kingdom, because of their
feeding habits.
 History of The five-kingdom system shows that the
monerans are the most primitive group of
the Kingdom
organisms, giving rise to protists.
System
 History of 1977: Carl Woese discovered that
prokaryotes have two genetically different
the Kingdom groups, with the use of rRNA nucleotide
System sequence analysis.

Kingdom Monera is divided into 2

kingdoms – Bacteria and Archaea. This led
to the six-kingdom system known today.

In the six-kingdom system, a

common ancestor to the three
domains of life gave rise to the
present forms of organisms.
 “
By studying DNA and RNA nucleotide sequences and comparison of the
amino acid sequence of proteins, it was revealed that there are two types of
prokaryotes – true bacteria and archaeans.
He even proposed the division of life in 3 domains which must be above the
kingdom level.
 Domain Bacteria | Kingdom Eubacteria
• Peptidoglycan is unique to bacteria.
• Cell shapes – spheres, rods, spirals
• Reproduction – binary fission

MODES OF NUTRITION
• Heterotrophic – feed on dead organic matter (most
bacteria)
• Parasitic – parasites to their hosts
• Autotrophic – they can produce their own food
(cyanobacteria)
• Chemosynthetic – use inorganic chemical reactions
as energy sources.
 Domain Archaea | Kingdom
Archaeabacteria
• Consist of single-celled prokaryotes
• They DO NOT possess peptidoglycan.
• They are found in the most extreme places on Earth
(deep ocean vents, hot springs, geysers, swamps)
• Comes from the Greek word archaios “ancient”
• Some are autotrophs, while others are heterotrophs.
• They are also known as extremophiles

Three groups:
• Methanogens – methane-producing archaeans
• Halobacteria – salt-loving archaeans
• Thermophiles – heat-loving thermophiles
Domain Eukarya | Kingdom Protista,
Fungi, Plantae, Animalia
• All members of these kingdoms have
eukaryotic cells in their bodies.
• Eukarya may be single-celled such
as most protists, colonial such as
algae, or multicellular like humans.
“