Classification and the Five (or Six) Kingdoms Life Science Week 5 Mrs. Rubright

Taxonomy The branch of biology that specialized in classifying organisms into a series of groups. The modern classification system has 7 different levels.

Taxonomy Kingdom – Largest group, there are only 6 (or 5) kingdoms in the entire world. Phylum (or Division when dealing with plants and fungi). Many phyla make up a kingdom. Class – Many classes make up a phylum Order – Many orders make up a class Family – Many families make up an order

Taxonomy Genus – Many genera make up a family. The genus makes up the first part of the scientific name. Species – The species name is never used without the genus name. Many species make up a genus. This is the second word in the scientific name. It’s the smallest MOST SPECIFIC group of organisms.

Classification Hierarchy King Phillip Cried Oh! For ~ Goodness ¤ Sakes Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family ~ Genus ¤ Species

Taxonomy Organisms are named using a system created by Carolus Von Linnaeus called binomial nomenclature which means “two part name.” Until Linnaeus scientific names were long sometimes with 11 or 12 names. Linnaeus proposed a universally accepted system whereby each organism on the planet has a two part name.

Taxonomy The first part of an organisms name is the genus name. It is ALWAYS capitalized. The second part of an organisms scientific name is the species name. It is NEVER capitalized. All scientific names must be either underlined or written in italics.

Taxonomy EXAMPLE: Quercus is the genus name for all oak trees. Quercus rubrum is the name for the red oak. Quercus alba is the white oak.

Taxonomy Remember the rules of scientific naming: Must be two (sometimes more) words. Must be either underlined or in italics First word must be capitalized and the second must be lower case

Taxonomy Common names are not used because each country, region, and sometimes even different communities have different names for the same thing. In the south, we are familiar with the Roly-Poly. In the north it is called a Pill bug. What we call a yellow poplar, is known as the tulip tree by many others. Language differences make it difficult too. All scientific names are written in Latin because at the time of Linnaeus, all educated people knew Latin.

Taxonomy Scientific names can also give you information about the organism. For example, Canus familiarus is the domesticated dog because it is “familiar.”

The 6 (or 5) Kingdoms 2000 years ago, Aristotle created a system of classification with two kingdoms: Plants and Animals. He classified plants based on stem differences (woody, herbaceous, etc) He classified animals based on where they lived (water, air, land.) 2 Kingdoms: Plants and Animals

The 6 (or 5) Kingdoms This system remained in place until the invention of the microscope by Galileo. Microscopic organisms were discovered in water that were green like plants, but moved around like animals. Scientists couldn’t decide if they were animals or plants so they created a 3rd kingdom called Protista. 3 Kingdoms: Plants, Animals, & Protista

5 Kingdoms: Plants, Animals, Protista, Fungi & Monera The 6 (or 5) Kingdoms Everything that wasn’t a plant or animal was thrown into Kingdom Protista so its often called the “Catch-All” kingdom. Eventually, the Fungi were separated from the Plant Kingdom and given their own Kingdom called Fungi and the bacteria were given their own Kingdom called Monera. 5 Kingdoms: Plants, Animals, Protista, Fungi & Monera

The 6 (or 5) Kingdoms Within the last 20 years, some scientists have decided that the two kinds of bacteria in Kingdom Monera (Archaebacteria & Eubacteria) are so different that they should be separated into different Kingdoms. 6 Kingdoms?: Plants, Animals, Protista, Fungi & Monera (Archaebacteria & Eubacteria)

The 6 (or 5) Kingdoms Kingdom Archaebacteria are the oldest living organisms. They live in the harshest environments on the planet like hot springs (thermophiles), acidic water (acidophiles), volcanic deep-sea vents (Heliophiles). Kingdom Eubacteria are the more common bacteria (E. coli and such).

Dichotomous Keys One tool used for classification is a dichotomous key. Answer a series of questions to determine what the next question will be. You continue through the key until the name of the organism is given in the key.

Dichotomous Key 1 The coin is silver in color go to 2 is not silver in color go to 4 2 The coin has ridges around the edge go to 3 doesn’t have ridges around the edge NICKLE 3 The coin a picture of George Washington on it QUARTER doesn’t have a picture of George Washington DIME 4 The coin has a man with a beard on it PENNY Doesn’t have a man with a beard on it DOLLAR

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