classification notes part 1

Classification of Living Things

Why do we classify things?

• Supermarket aisles
• Libraries
• Classes
• Teams/sports
• Members of a family
• Roads
• Cities
• Money

What is classification?

• Classification: putting things into orderly groups based on similar characteristics

• Taxonomy: the science of describing, naming, and classifying organisms

Early classification

• Aristotle grouped everything into

simple groups such as animals or plants

• He then grouped animals according to if they had blood or didn’t have blood, and if they had live young or laid eggs, and so on…

Binomial Nomenclature

• Developed by Carolus Linnaeus
• Swedish Biologist 1700’s
• Two-name system
• Genus and species named using Latin or Greek words

Rules used to write scientific names

Homo sapiens

• An organism’s genus is always written first; the organism’s species is always written second
• The genus is Capitalized; the species is

written in lower case

• Scientific names of organisms are always italicized or underlined

Modern Taxonomy

The Evidence used to classify into taxon groups

• 1) Embryology
• 2) Chromosomes / DNA
• 3) Biochemistry
• 4) Physiology
• 5) Evolution
• 6) Behavior

The modern system of classification has 8 levels:

• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species

• Domain
• Kingdom
• Phylum
• Class

Helpful way to remember the 8 levels

• Dumb kids playing catch on freeways get squashed
• Or…make up your own…
• D K P C O F G S

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

What are we doing now?

• Complete the sort that is on the table and write your answers on the chart
• Turn in
• Go to google classroom to complete an assignment that is due tomorrow
• REMEMBER! Vocab is DUE TOMORROW