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Classification of Living Things

The document discusses the classification of living things from early systems developed by Aristotle and Linnaeus to the modern 5 kingdom system. It covers the importance of taxonomy, the development of the binomial nomenclature system, levels of classification such as domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species, and how modern taxonomy incorporates factors like morphology, biochemistry, reproduction and chromosome structure.

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83 views34 pages

Classification of Living Things

The document discusses the classification of living things from early systems developed by Aristotle and Linnaeus to the modern 5 kingdom system. It covers the importance of taxonomy, the development of the binomial nomenclature system, levels of classification such as domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species, and how modern taxonomy incorporates factors like morphology, biochemistry, reproduction and chromosome structure.

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Venice De los Reyes
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Classification of Living Things

Classification of Living Things

 Taxonomy: science of classification

Why ?
Biologists classify living organisms to answer
questions such as:
- How many known species are there?
- What are the defining characteristics of each species?
- What are the relationships between these species?
Aristotle

(350 B.C.)
Aristotle

PLANTS: ANIMALS:

Based on Based on
size of stem where they lived
John Ray
Limitations of Early Classification
1. Not all organisms fit into Aristotle’s
2 groups (plants or animals)
Ex: Bacteria Fungi
2. Common names can be misleading

Ex:
A jelly fish isn’t a fish,
but a seahorse is!

Sea cucumber
sounds like a plant
but… it’s an animal!
3. Common names vary from
place to place

Ex: puma,
catamount,
mountain lion,
cougar
are all names
for same animal
Image from: http://www4.d25.k12.id.us/ihil/images/Cougar.jpg
4. Same organisms
have different
names in different
countries.

Chipmunk
Streifenhornchen (German)
Tamia (Italian)
Ardilla listada (Spanish)
Early Solution:
Description of
Organism Using
Latin Names

RED OAK
Quercus foliis obtuse-sinuatis setaceo-mucronatis
“oak with leaves with deep blunt lobes bearing hairlike bristles”
 Problem with Latin Name descriptions?

- Names too long and difficult to remember

- Names don’t illustrate evolutionary


relationships
Carl Linnaeus
 Devised a new
classification system
based on morphology
(Organism’s form and
structure)
 Formed a species
 Similar species group
together to form a
genus (1707-1778)
“Father” of taxonomy and binomial nomenclature
 Use of genus and species names to form
scientific name
 This system is called binomial
nomenclature
 Binomial means two parts
 Nomenclature means system of
naming
 Latin is used-dead language
Binomial Nomenclature

 Binomial Nomenclature: Two name naming


system
 Italicized or Underlined
 1st Name = Genus
 Capitalized
 2nd Name = Species Identifier
 Lower case
Binomial Nomenclature

Vampire bat
Desmodus rotundus

Eastern chipmunk
Tamias striatus
Binomial Nomenclature
Humans

Homo sapiens
Homo sapiens

Image from: http://www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/images/photo_baby.jpg


Robert Whittaker-1969
 5 kingdom system of
naming
 Animalia, Plantae,
Protista, Monera, Fungi
 Levels of classification
from broadest to
narrowest
 KPCOFGS
Kingdom
Phylum Kings
Class Play
Cards
Order On
Family Fat
Genus Green
Species Stools
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Felidae
Genus Panthera
Species leo
Modern Taxonomy
 Modern taxonomy involves early naming/classification
system, but with additional kingdom.
 Domain is the most general grouping
Modern Taxonomy
 Scientists use a variety of information in
order to classify organisms:
1. Chromosome Structure
2. Reproductive Potential
3. Biochemical Makeup/Protein
Comparison
4. Morphology- Homologous Structures
1. Chromosomes

Similar karyotypes suggest closer relationships.


Indicates similar DNA/RNA structure by comparing
base sequences
Human: http://www.nationmaster.com/wikimir/images/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/18/300px-Human_karyogram.png
Chimpanzee: Middle School Life Science , published by Kendall/Hunt.
Human- 46 chromosomes Chimpanzee- 48 chromosomes

Even differences show relatedness


Chimpanzees have 2 smaller chromosome pairs we don’t have
Humans have 1 larger chromosome pair (#2) they don’t have.
2. Reproductive potential
 If two organisms can interbreed AND
produce fertile offspring they are
considered of the same species
3. Biochemical makeup
Comparison of macromolecules
such as Proteins
Similar amino acid sequences in
proteins indicate similar
organisms
Macromolecules
4. MORPHOLOGY
Shape and Function
Domain Bacteria Archaea Eukarya
Kingdom Eubacteria Archaebac- Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia
teria

Cell type Prokaryote Prokaryote Eukaryote Eukaryote Eukaryote Eukaryote

Cell Cell walls Cell walls Cell walls of Cell walls of Cell walls of No cell walls
structure with w/o cellulose in chitin cellulose; or
peptidogly- peptidogly- some; some chloroplast chloroplast
can can have
chloroplasts

Number Unicellular Unicellular Most Most Multicellular Multicellular


of cells unicellular; multicellular;
some colonial; some
some multi- unicellular
cellular

Mode of Autoroph or Autoroph or Autoroph or Heterotroph Autotroph Heterotroph


nutrition heterotroph heterotroph heterotroph

Examples Streptoccous, Methanogen Amoeba, Mushroom, Mosses, Sponges,


E. coli , halophiles Paramecium, yeast ferns, insects, fish,
slime molds, flowering mammals
giant kelp plants
Binomial Nomenclature

Also called binominal nomenclature ("two-


name naming system") or binary nomenclature,
is a formal system of naming species of living
things by giving each a name composed of two
parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms
Binomial Nomenclature

The first part of the name identifies the


genus to which the species belongs; the
second part – the specific name or specific
epithet – identifies the species within the
genus.
Binomial Nomenclature

Governed by various internationally


agreed codes of rules.

-ICZN
-ICN

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