Grouping organisms based on similarities Classification Grouping organisms based on similarities

Taxonomy Taxonomy is the branch of biology that groups and names organisms based on similar characteristics.

Early Taxonomy Aristotle- (384-322 BC) Grouped plants by size and animals by where they live. Not very affective Animals Plants Air –fly, bird, bat Herbs-sage, tea, pepper Water-seal, fish, frog Shrubs- grass, rose bush Land- dog, lizard, cat Trees- oak, pine, maple

Linnaeus’s System -Linnaeus (1707-1778) – grouped organisms based on structural similarities. Ex. Mammals have fur and reptiles have scales -this system lead to more logical grouping.

Taxonomic Rankings -From larger groups to smaller groups Kingdom King** Phylum Phillip Class Came Order Over Family For Genius Good Species Spaghetti

Binomial Nomenclature -used to name organisms -first word in name is the organism’s genus -second word in name is the organism’s species, describes a characteristic of an organism. -should be italicized in print and underlined when hand written. Ex. Homo sapiens = scientific name for humans Homo= genus sapiens= Latin word for “wise”, because humans are intelligent

Phylogeny Phylogeny- traces the evolutionary history of organisms based on shared characteristics.

Phylogenetic Tree A branching diagram that hypothetically shows the evolutionary history of organisms.

Cladogram -cladogram- a diagram that shows the evolutionary history of a species -classifies species based on derived traits

Dichotomous Keys -dichotomous keys characterize organisms by continuously splitting organisms into two groups based on a characteristic until individual species are isolated. Generally a way of identifiying unknown organisms.

1.Has feathers yes go to 2 no go to 3 2. Swims yes go to 4 no go to 5 3. Has Legs yes go to 6 no go to 7 4. Duck 5. Hen 6. Lizard 7. Snake