Classification is a way of seeing relationships

• Taxonomy is the branch of biology that specializes in classifying organisms into a series of groups called Taxa

• (singular is Taxon).

The most common classification system used today has 7 taxa:

1. Kingdom - Largest classification taxon, and has more organisms in it than taxa under it.

2. Phylum

3. Class

4. Order

5. Family

6. Genus

7. Species

Eukarya - Cells with a nucleus

Animalia - multi-cellular, mobile and internally digest our food

Chordata - Has a backbone

Mammalia - Has hair, produces live young, feeds young milk.

Primates - Opposable thumb

Hominidae - Walks upright

Homo - The same, alike

Sapien - Wise

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

• Make babies that can make other babies.

p.446

• A group of similar species forms a genus and a genus is a larger group than species.

• The next larger group is a family a taxon made of similar genera.

p.446• Similar families

would form a taxon called an order and similar order would form a class

• If organisms are in the same family then they are also in the same order, class, phylum, and kingdom all of the taxa above family.

A bobcat, a house cat, and a lion are all in the family Felidae, so they are also in the same ____________________.

order, class,phylum,& kingdom.

A dog and an ape are both in the same class mammalian. What other taxa must they have in common?

•Kingdom and Phylum

Callinectes sapidus

• Scientific names can also tell you about relationships.

• Two organisms that have the same word for the first part of the scientific name are in the same genus and are very closely related.

• Example: The scientific name for a red maple tree is Acer rubrum.

• Would it be more closely related to the tree named Quercus rubrum or to the tree named Acer saccharum? (Circle the correct answer)

Acer saccharum

3 Rules for naming organisms

1. Call an organism by the genus + species

2. Capitalize genus when writing

3. Lower case the species when writing

Homo sapian – that's us

The name system is called

Binomial Nomenclature

Bi= 2

Nomial = name

Nomenclature = naming system

DNA classification

• By using DNA samples, scientists can now determine the relationships between organisms by similarity in DNA.

• Remember DNA fingerprinting

• Sometimes it is surprising to learn that two organisms that seem to be very different have similar DNA.

• Most people wouldn’t think that a raccoon and a bear have a lot in common, but they have some structural similarities and live in similar habitats.

• Scientists collected DNA samples from raccoons and red pandas and then separated them into fragments using restriction enzymes.

• After running the samples through gel electrophoresis, they were able to use DNA sequencing to determine that red pandas actually are more closely related to raccoons than they are to giant pandas.

What to study for the Test?

1. Define Mutation2. List, Explain, and Identify the 3 gene

mutations.3. List, Explain, and Identify the 4 chromosomal

mutations4. Read a karyotype: Is it a boy?, girl?, does the

child have Down’s syndrome?5. Illustrate and explain the process of making

recombinant DNA and Transformtion6. Read a DNA fingerprint7. Define Clone.