1. Title of Notes: Classification of Living Things
p. 30 & 31 RS

2. What is classification?
Classification is the grouping of living organisms according to similar structures and functions.

3. Early classification systems
Aristotle grouped animals according to the way they moved

4. The modern classification system
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Developed by Carolus Linnaeus
Consists of 7 levels:
Kingdom is the broadest
Family
Genus
Species
Species are more closely related and commonly
can breed to produce offspring.

6. Helpful way to remember the 7 levels (mnemonic for taxonomy)
King Philip Came Over For Grape Soda.
King Philip Came Over For Green Skittles.
Create your own

7. Binomial Nomenclature
Developed by Carolus Linnaeus
Two-name system:
First name is the organism’s genus
Second name is the organism’s species

8. What rules are used to write scientific names?
The first letter of the genus is ALWAYS capitalized
The first letter of the species is NEVER capitalized
Scientific names of organisms are always italicized or underlined

9. Using the Classification System
Field guides help identify organisms. -they highlight differences between similar organisms (like trees) Taxonomic Key (Dichotomous Key) -paired statements that describe the physical characteristics of different organisms

10. Dichotomous key It is a key used for the identification of organisms based on a series of choices between alternative characters.

11. What steps would you use to identify a peach?
Dichotomous Key
1a Fruits occur singly Go to 3
1b Fruits occur in clusters of two or more Go to 2
2a Fruits are round Grapes
2b Fruits are elongate Bananas
3a Thick skin that separates easily from flesh Oranges
3b Thin skin that adheres to flesh Go to 4
4a More than one seed per fruit Apples
4b One seed per fruit Go to 5
5a Skin covered with velvety hairs Peaches
5b Skin smooth, without hairs Plums
What steps would you use to identify a peach?

12. DICHOTOMOUS KEY VIDEO (2:38)

13. A diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships among
Cladograms
A diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships among
A group of organisms.

14. How to read a Cladogram Descendants characteristics Common ancestor
Note that this diagram is also a timeline. The older organism is at the bottom of the tree.
The descendants at the top of the tree are DIFFERENT species. This is called SPECIATION

15. Branches on the tree represent SPECIATION, the formation of a new species.
The event that causes the speciation is shown as the fork of the “V”.

16. Species B and C each have characteristics that are unique only to them.
But they also share some part of their history with species A. This shared history is the common ancestor.

17. Create your own mnemonic for the 7 levels p. 30 LS
Must have the word and a picture
Must have color