1. Seeking Order Amidst Diversity
Systematics
Seeking Order Amidst Diversity

2. 8.7 million That is about how many species there are known on Earth
systematics, sometimes known as taxonomy, is science’s attempt to classify and organize 8.7 million different things
Keeping these things organized helps with things such as museum management, field work, identifying new discoveries, genetics, etc.

3. Common Names
Used on an everyday basis, common names can be confusing due to their inaccuracy
Example, if I say to you, “Irish Moss.” What would you think of?

4. Maybe something like this?

5. Sorry, its this.
Yeah, its seaweed.

6. How about a tufted titmouse?
Maybe this guy?

7. NOPE!!!
Here he is. He’s in your backyard all the time. He likes sunflower seeds.

8. One more.
Dolphin
got that image in your head?

9. Okay, that works…but

10. This is a dolphin too. Mahi mahi anyone?

11. How Organisms are Classified
Systematics is the science of reconstructing phylogeny (evolutionary history)
A key part is taxonomy this is naming organisms and placing them into categories
there are seven major categories, which I think you know: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
and the newer one, domain. This is really just whether an organism is a prokaryote or a eukaryote

12. Taxonomy
Originated with ….
wait for it…..

13. ARISTOTLE
what up

14. Carl von Linné He called himself… He called himself Carolus Linnaeus
Jerkishnessity aside he did lay the groundwork for the modern classification system

15. Somehow you knew that this is exactly what he would look like.

16. The Linnaean System Is the one you’re familiar with
A hierarchical arrangement based on resemblance to other organisms
He also introduced the scientific name, composed of genus and species

17. Modern systematics Uses many features to categorize organisms
anatomy, developmental stages, biochemical similarities, and the fossil record
The relationships are drawn as cladograms or evolutionary trees