May 19, Why is it important to classify organisms? 2.What are the different types of organisms you know of?

What is taxonomy? System to classify organisms according to characteristics –Body, looks (morphology) –Actions & behaviors –DNA

Who “invented” taxonomy? Aristotle –Plants vs. animals Animals were classified based on where they lived Plants were classified based on their stems

Who “invented” taxonomy? Carolus Linnaeus –Father of modern taxonomy –Latin naming system Universal Language Before this: common names were used and no one could communicate beyond their language! Names were descriptive: –Dog would be: animal that walks on four legs, has fur covering body, has tail, barks, has long sharp teeth, etc

Canis lupus familiaris = Dog

Who “invented” taxonomy? Linnaeus, Cont –Binomial Nomenclature 2 name naming system Genus and species –Genus capitalized –Species lowercase –Always in italics or underlined

Could indicate features Ex. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus Xanthocephalus=Yellow headed How are names picked?

Could indicate where species live Eubalaena australis How are names picked?

What’s in a name? “People smart” Homo sapiens Image from:

What’s in a name? Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus “sea eagle white headed” Asterias rubens “Star red” Image from: Image from:

What are the levels of taxonomy? TaxaHumansPneumonic Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Eukarya Animalia Chordata Mammalia Hominidae Primate Homo sapien Dumb Kids Playing Chess On Freeways Get Squished