Classification and Taxonomy
What is Taxonomy? Discipline of classifying organisms and assigning each organism a universally accepted name.
Why Classify? To study the diversity of life, biologists use a classification system to name organisms and group them in a logical manner. When taxonomists classify organisms, they organize them into groups that have biological significance.
Common Names vs. Scientific Names Common Names can be confusing one organism can have many different names The Cougar is also known as a: Puma, Mountain Lion or Catamount Each organism only has ONE scientific name (species name) No matter where you are in the world the Cougar is Felis concolor
Assigning Scientific Names Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who was the first to classify or group living things. He classified organisms into two groups: Plants and Animals He subdivided those groups as well. Plants were subdivided into: Herbs, Shrubs and Trees Animals were subdivided based on their habitat and physical characteristics
Assigning Scientific Names A Swedish botanist named Carl Linnaeus developed Binomial Nomenclature, a two-word naming system for naming all species on earth. It is based on physical and structural similarities Still used today
Why does everything have a weird name in Biology? Everything in science is named using Latin. Why? Latin is a dead language and won’t change meanings with slang or invention. “That is SO gay!!!” Example: Merriam Webster Dictionary definition: Gay – (gA) adjective; 1 a : happily excited : MERRY <in a gay mood> b : keenly alive and exuberant : having or inducing high spirits <a bird's gay spring song>2 a : BRIGHT, LIVELY <gay sunny meadows> b : brilliant in color
4 Reasons for using Latin dead language and will not change not misleading like a common name more descriptive basis for many other languages; English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese
Binomial Nomenclature Each organism has a name consisting of two words Examples: Homo sapiens Tyto alba Common Names: HUMAN Barn Owl
Binomial Nomenclature Homo sapiens Tyto alba The first part of the scientific name is the genus. This word is always written first and the first letter is capitalized. It appears in italics or is underlined.
Binomial Nomenclature Homo sapiens Tyto alba The second part of the scientific name is the specific epithet or species name. This word is always written second and the first letter is lower-case. It appears in italics or is underlined.
The 8 Levels of Classification They are, from largest to smallest Domain (this is a relatively new level separates Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryota) Kingdom (separates plants from animals) Phylum (separates into major groups within the Kingdom; plural: phyla) Class (breaks Phyla down into smaller groups) Order (even more specific) Family (very similar characteristics) Genus (reproductive grouping) Species (most specific)
Come Did King Phillip Over For Good Soup Species Genus Family Order Class For Phylum Good Kingdom Soup Domain
8 levels of Classification Miss Cook vs. Barn Owl Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: H. sapiens Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Strigiformes Family: Tytonidae Genus: Tyto Species: T. alba
THINKING CRITICALLY Organism Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Cat Wolf Fly Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Arthropoda Class Mammalia Insecta Order Carnivora Diptera Family Felidae Canidae Muscidae Genus Felis Canis Musca Species F. domesticus C. lupus M. domestica Have students study this chart. The next slide lists three questions to answer using this chart. You may have to advance to the next slide, let students read the question and then come back to the chart so they can find the answer.
THINKING CRITICALLY What are the kingdom and class of Musca domestica? From the table, which 2 animals are most closely related? 3. At what classification level does the evolutionary relationship between cats and wolves diverge (become different)? Animal; insect Cat and Wolf Family Level