Classifying the Life Around Us Objective: We will examine the five kingdoms of living things in order to explain the significance of Linnaeus’ method of classification.

Why classify???

The Diversity of Life – there are too many organisms on Earth to keep track of… we must group them somehow!

How many species are there? About 1 3/4 million given scientific names  Nearly 2/3 of these are insects Estimates of total living species = 10 to 100 million.  Actual number probably 13 to 14 million (most are insects and microscopic life)  Many become extinct before being discovered. Stephen Jay Gould estimated that 99% of all plant and animal species that have existed have already become extinct with most leaving no fossils.  Humans and other large animals are freakishly rare - 99% of all known animal species are smaller than bumble bees.

When did scientists begin classifying living things? 18th and 19th century naturalists spent their lives identifying and naming newly discovered plants and animals.  However, few asked what accounted for the patterns of similarities and differences between the organisms (how they evolved). 

Taxonomy Grouping of organisms into different categories based on their characteristics.   Assigning a universally accepted name. Callinectes sapidus Iguana iguana Pan troglodytes

Carolus Linnaeus 1707-1778  Developed a two-word naming system, called binomial nomenclature. The scientific name is always in italics. The first word is capitalized, the second is lowercased.

Linnaean Taxonomy Each organism is identified by two Latin name categories, genus and species.  A genus is a group of closely related species. genus species

Example Ursus arctos Ursus maritimus

Why classify? mountain lion puma cougar Felis concolor panther Scientific names help scientists communicate more efficiently about organisms that may have many different common names. panther

Linnaean Taxonomy Linnaeus also created higher, more inclusive classification categories.  family genus species

Family Ursidae – Bear family Ursus arctos Ursus maritimus Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Classification Hierarchy Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Largest grouping; most diverse King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti A phrase to help you remember the order! Smallest grouping

Take a moment… Complete the worksheet titled “Classifying Living Things” to practice using the classification hierarchy. When you are done, use the slides that follow to complete the chart in your packet.

Remember: A prokaryote is a cell with no nucleus A eukaryote is a cell with organelles An autotroph can make its own food A heterotroph has to eat other things

Kingdom Monera (bacteria) Prokaryotes No organelles; cell wall and cell membrane Unicellular (Single-celled) Heterotrophic (takes in food) and autotrophic (photosynthesis or chemosynthesis) Most primitive form of life Reproduce asexually Ex. E. coli, Streptococcus, Salmonella

Kingdom Protista Eukaryotic Membranes, organelles, some have chloroplasts Can move with cilia, pseudopods, or flagella Most unicellular, some multicellular Some autotrophs (photosynthesis), some heterotrophs (phagocytosis) Some reproduce sexually, others asexually Ex. Amoeba, Paramecium, Volvox, Euglena

Kingdom Fungi Eukaryotic Cell walls of chitin Almost all are multicellular (except yeast) Heterotrophic saprophytes (feed off dead materials) parasites (feed off living things) predators (capture and eat prey) mutualistic (live in partnership with another organism) Most reproduce using spores (sexually and asexually) Ex. Mushrooms, lichen, mold, yeast

Kingdom Plantae Eukaryotic Cell walls made of cellulose, chloroplasts Multicellular Autotrophs (photosynthesis) Most reproduce sexually by producing seeds Ex. Ferns, trees, flowering plants, mosses

Kingdom Animalia Eukaryotic No cell walls or chloroplasts All animals are multicellular All animals are heterotrophs Body plans are adapted to an animal’s living environment (aquatic and terrestrial species).

Kingdom Monera (bacteria) Prokaryotes No organelles; cell wall and cell membrane Unicellular (Single-celled) Heterotrophic (takes in food) and autotrophic (photosynthesis or chemosynthesis) Most primitive form of life Reproduce asexually Ex. E. coli, Streptococcus, Salmonella

Kingdom Protista Eukaryotic Membranes, organelles, some have chloroplasts Can move with cilia, pseudopods, or flagella Most unicellular, some multicellular Some autotrophs (photosynthesis), some heterotrophs (phagocytosis) Some reproduce sexually, others asexually Ex. Amoeba, Paramecium, Volvox, Euglena

Kingdom Fungi Eukaryotic Cell walls of chitin Almost all are multicellular (except yeast) Heterotrophic saprophytes (feed off dead materials) parasites (feed off living things) predators (capture and eat prey) mutualistic (live in partnership with another organism) Most reproduce using spores (sexually and asexually) Ex. Mushrooms, lichen, mold, yeast

Kingdom Plantae Eukaryotic Cell walls made of cellulose, chloroplasts Multicellular Autotrophs (photosynthesis) Most reproduce sexually by producing seeds Ex. Ferns, trees, flowering plants, mosses

Kingdom Animalia Eukaryotic No cell walls or chloroplasts All animals are multicellular All animals are heterotrophs Body plans are adapted to an animal’s living environment (aquatic and terrestrial species).

Animals Vertebrates Invertebrates

Mammals Vertebrates Have body hair or fur Have mammary glands that produce milk Warm blooded

Fish Vertebrates Live in water Breathe with gills Streamlined bodies Have cartilage or bony skeleton Cold blooded Mostly lay eggs

Reptiles Vertebrates Have dry, scaly skins Egg laying Breathe with lungs Cold blooded

Amphibians Vertebrates Moist skin Lay their eggs in water Larvae have gills and live in water Adults have lungs and live on land Cold blooded

Birds Vertebrates Have feathers and wings Lay eggs with hard shells Breathe with lungs Warm blooded

Animals Vertebrates Invertebrates

Invertebrates Hollow bodied Mouth is the only body opening and is surrounded by tentacles Uses sting cells to paralyse prey Cnidarians

Invertebrates Flat thin bodies Digestive system has only one opening Animals are both male and females Mostly parasites Flatworms

Invertebrates Rounded bodied Bodies made of segments True Worms

Invertebrates Not segmented Body in three continuous parts with head, body and foot Have one or two shells Molluscs

Invertebrates Spiny skinned Body in five parts Central mouth with respiratory gills Echinoderms

Invertebrates Hard exo-sekeleton on outside of body Has eyes and mouth Body divided into more than one segment Arthropods Centipedes & Millipedes Crustaceans Arachnids Insects

Animals Invertebrates Vertebrates Cnidarians Mammals Flatworms Fish True worms Reptiles Molluscs Amphibians Echinoderms Birds Arthropods