Diversity of Life Taxonomy

How would you classify these?

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How would you classify these?

How would you classify these?

• How we organize and classify life on Earth is a branch of science called taxonomy.

• It started in the 1700’s with Carl Linneaeus.–What would he have used

to classify organisms?• He organized based on

physical and structural features.

Organizing the Diversity of Life• What are the purposes of taxonomy?–To identify organisms and represent

relationships amongst them• What is today’s common classification

system based on?–Based on an organism’s physical and

structural features – the more features the closer the relationship

• What are the two main features of Carl’s classification system?–Binomial nomenclature –Taxa

Binomial Nomenclature• A method of naming organisms by using

two names: the genus name and the species names

• Scientific names are italicized

• Species - resemble one another and can interbreed under natural conditions to produce fertile offspring.

Taxonomy is all about hierarchy!– Kingdom

– Phylum

– Class

– Order

– Family

– Genus

– Species

– Species

Bee, oyster, dog, frog, domestic cat, horse, tiger, lionDog, frog, domestic cat, horse, tiger, lionDog, domestic cat, horse, tiger, lionDog, domestic cat, tiger, lion

Domestic cat, tiger, lion

Tiger, lion

Lion

Tiger

Chordata

MammaliaCarnivora

Felidae

Panthera

leo

tigris

Animalia

King Philip Came Over From Germany Swimming

Ursus americanus

Ursus horribilis

Phascolarctoscinereus

Ursus maritimus

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Taxa• Seven levels (taxa) for classification:

• There are 6 kingdoms:

1. Kingdom2. Phylum3. Class4. Order

5. Family6. Genus7. Species

•Animalia•Plantae•Fungi

•Protista•Eubacteria•Archaebacteria

Phylogenetic Tree• Used to help

organize species based on their evolutionary history.– Like a family

tree!

Species Diversity• The similarities or differences between

organisms helps to define each unique species.

• Scientists have identified 1.9 million different species of organisms.

• The actual number may about 8.8 million! With almost 90% of them being animals.

• This shows the great amount of biodiversity on Earth.

• If we want to identify new organisms to see if they are a new species we can use a dichotomous key.–Uses physical and structural features to

identify organisms.