1. UNIT 1 PART 2: CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS
All living things are put into groups, or classified. They are organized.
This makes them easier to study and easier to find.
The branch of biology that deals with classifying and naming organisms is called taxonomy.

2. Taxonomic Categories Largest group: Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Genus
Smallest group: species
Only one type of organism is in a species.

3. Each kind of organism has a two word Latin name made up of its genus and species names. This is its scientific name and is always written in italics.
Kingdom
Animal
Phylum
Chordate
Class
Mammal
Order
Carnivora
Primate
Family
Canine
Felidae
Homidae
Genus
Canus
Felis
Homo
species
familiarus
lupis
domesticus
sapiens
Common
Dog
Wolf
Cat
Human
The scientific name of a human is Homo sapiens.

4. The Six Kingdoms
Today, with the use of DNA, taxonomists put organisms into one of six kingdoms.

5. Archaebacteria Live in extremely hostile environments :
Volcanic hot springs
Salt lakes or seas
Bottom of swamps
Most live without oxygen
Unicellular
Prokaryotic

6. Eubacteria
Includes most bacteria, those that cause disease, and cyanobacteria
Unicellular
Prokaryotic

7. Protista Mostly unicellular and eukaryotic
Protozoa are animal-like and eat food.
Algae are plant-like and use photosynthesis.

8. Fungi Mushrooms, yeasts, molds Eukaryotic
Cell walls are different than plants.
No chlorophyll so no photosynthesis. They do not make their own food.

9. Plantae Mosses, liverworts, ferns, and seed plants
Can not move on their own
Multicellular, cells have cell walls
Eukaryotic
Have chlorophyll and use photosynthesis

10. Animalia Mammals, insects, birds, sponges Can move on their own
Multicellular, cells do not have cell walls
Eukaryotic
Must get food from the environment

11. Taxonomic Keys A tool used to identify organisms already classified.
Most are dichotomous. That is, there are only two choices at each step that describe some characteristic of the organism.

12. Using the characteristics shown above, please make a dichotomous key for the 13 triangular critters at the left. Some characteristics may be used more than once. You may use their assigned numbers for names.