Classification and Scientific Nomenclature

CLASSIFICATION AND SCIENTIFIC NOMENCLATUREORDERING THE LIVING WORLD

What is classification? Classification is the grouping of things

according to characteristics

The science of classifying organisms is known as taxonomy

Why do Scientists Classify?

Almost 2 million kinds of organisms on Earth

Need to keep organized! (Easier to study!)

Classification= process of grouping things based on their similarities

Early classification systems Aristotle grouped animals according to the

way they moved

Aristotle’s System Aristotle grouped animals

according to the way they moved

For example, all animals that traveled by air were thought to have been related.

That meant that birds, bees, and bats were classified together and thought to be related!

Aristotle’s System

As time passed, more species were discovered & some did not fit easily into Aristotle’s system of classification.

Therefore, it became a great need for his system to be replaced!

Organisms are now classified according to their EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS (HOW THEY HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME)

= phylogenetics

Linnaeus’s System

Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish Botanist developed a wonderful method of classifying organisms properly.

His system was based upon classifying organisms according to organism's physical and structural similarities.

For example, he might use the similarities in flower parts as a basis for classifying flowering plants.

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Eight classification groups of living things

(Domain)

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

King Phillip Came Over For Grape Soda

Kingdom 6 main kingdoms: (large groupings

of living things) Eubacteria Archaebacteria Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia

Phylum

Phylum: is a Taxa or “group” of similar classes.

The kingdom Animalia contains approximately 35 phyla (or divisions)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylum#Animal_phyla

Class Class: A class is a group of similar

“Orders.”

Order

Order: is a taxon or “group” of similar families.

Family

Family: is a group of similar genera.

Genus

A genus is a group of similar species.

Species

Species is a group of organisms in a population that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

E.g. grizzly bears are

Ursus horribilis

Binomial Nomenclature Developed by Linnaeus Two-name system Each organism has a genus and a

species name A genus (plural form = genera) consists

of a group of similar species. FIRST NAME

A species, the SECOND NAME, the descriptive word,

Ursus horribilis or Ursus horribilis

Grizzly Bear

Genus- always capitalize first letter Species- always lowercase first letter Underlined or italics

Ursus means__BEAR________ (genus) while the species name is the descriptive word. Horribilis means __HORRIBLE YEAR________ which describes this type of bear, therefore called

Ursus horribilis or Ursus horribilis

Two Names For A Species Latin is the language of scientific names which

is still used today because the language is no longer used in society for conversation. Therefore, it does not change.

many organisms have common names just like you & your friends might have nicknames.

Useful so everyone understands what all other people are talking about- like metrics and measurement.