Classifying Organisms

Why Do Scientists Classify?

Classification is the process of grouping

things based on their similarities.
Biologists use classification to organize
living things into groups so that the
organisms are easier to study.

The scientific study of how living things are

classified is called taxonomy.
Is it living or not?
MRS GREN
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 Levels of Classification of living things
Species

Organisms are Genus

grouped by their Family
shared Order
characteristics.
Class
Phylum
Kingdom

Invented by Linnaeus, a Swedish

plant scientist (since modified)
Kingdoms
• Any grouping of organisms into kingdoms is
based on several factors:
– Presence of a nucleus
– Unicellular or multi-cellular
– How organisms get their food.

• Five different kingdoms of organisms are

generally recognized by scientists today
– Protists
– Monerans
– Fungi
– Plants
– Animals
The five kingdoms of living things
Why do you think they have been grouped this way?
 Monera
Monera are single-celled organisms that don't have a nucleus (Prokaryote
cells). Bacteria make up the entire kingdom. There are more forms of bacteria
than any other organism on Earth. Some bacteria are beneficial to us, such as
the ones found in yogurt. Others can cause us to get sick. Some monerans
absorb nutrition from the environment around them (heterotrophs) and others
photosynthesize to make their own food (autotrophs). Some monerans can
move around, while others stay in one place. Monerans are asexual meaning
they split in two to reproduce with identical offspring.
 Protist
Protists are mostly single-celled organisms that have a nucleus (Eukaryote).
They usually live in water. Some protists move around, while others stay in
one place. Protists either absorb and ingest nutrition from their environment
(heterotrophs) or photosynthesize to make their own food (autotrophs).
Protists can be asexual (split in two to reproduce with identical offspring) or
sexual (fertilisation happens to produce offspring combining genes of the
parents).
Examples of protists include some algae, paramecium, and amoeba.
 Fungi
Fungi cells have a nucleus (Eukaryote) and all except yeast are multi-cellular.
They are usually motionless organisms. They reproduce sexually (fertilisation
happens to produce offspring combining genes of the parents) and are spread by
producing millions of microscopic spores. They cannot produce their own food so
feed on dead plants or animals and help to recycle their nutrients. Some fungi
are edible but some are very POISONOUS! Fungi live in all kinds of places
including your intestines and your feet! Most people have 80 types of fungus on
the heel of their foot alone. Some are beneficial to people (penicillin) and others
can make you sick (black mould). They include mushrooms, molds, and yeasts.

Fruiting
body

Mycelium
Hyphae Intestinal fungi Athletes’ foot
 Plants
Plants cells contain a nucleus (Eukaryote) and are multi-cellular. They contain
chlorophyll, a green pigment necessary for photosynthesis, a process in which
plants convert energy from sunlight into food. Their cell walls are made sturdy by
a material called cellulose, and they are fixed in one place. Plants reproduce
sexually (fertilisation happens to produce offspring combining genes of the
parents).Plants are divided into two groups: flower- and fruit-producing plants
and those that don't produce flowers or fruits. They include garden flowers,
agricultural crops, grasses, shrubs, ferns, mosses, and conifers.
 Animals
Animals are the most complex organisms on Earth. Animals are multi-
celled organisms, eat food for survival, and have nervous systems.
Animas reproduce sexually (fertilisation happens to produce offspring
combining genes of the parents).
They are divided into vertebrates and invertebrates and include mammals,
amphibians, reptiles, birds and fish.
 Understanding Venn Diagrams
What statements can be generated from this?
 Understanding Venn Diagrams
What statements can be generated from this?
Understanding Venn Diagrams

What do these mean? 

Your task
Now complete the Venn diagrams using the information
provided in the slides about each of the kingdoms. You can
also add ideas of your own. Below is some vocabulary you
might find useful.

Prokaryotic Eukaryotic
Unicellular Multicellular
Asexual Sexual
Doesn’t move Moves
Autotroph Heterotroph
We know the kingdom. Now what?
 We know the kingdom. Now what?

The next group

to further classify
living things is
the Phylum.

In the animal
kingdom, the two
phylum are
invertebrates
and
invertebrates.

Fun fact
98% of all No
No
backbone Have
Haveaabackbone
backbone
backbone
animals are
invertebrates!
 Your task

Create a two column

table in your book
titled ‘Vertebrates
and Invertebrates.
Write down the
names of these
animals under the
appropriate heading.
How did you go?
 We know the kingdom. Now what?

The next step is

to group animals
by class.

Can you name

two animals for
each class?
 We know the kingdom. Now what?

Every class
needs a little
order!

The class
‘Mammals’ has
26 orders in all.

Here are five

examples.
 We know the kingdom. Now what?

Families come
next.

The order
‘Primates’ is
organised into
13 families.

We are part of Family – Hominidae (great apes)

the family called
Hominidae
family
 We know the kingdom. Now what?

Animals in the
same genus are
very closely
related.
Genus – Homo
Our genus is
called ‘Homo’
and includes all
great apes that
showed
evidence of tool
use, language
and culture
leading up to our
own species.
 We know the kingdom. Now what?

We made it! The

species is each
type of animal.

Our species is Species - Sapiens

‘Sapiens’ and we
are the only
surviving
species of the
homo genus.
Binomial Nomenclature
• The Swedish scientist, Linnaeus, also devised a
simplified system of naming organisms based on their
classification: the first name shows the genus and the
second the species to which the organism belongs, as in
Panthera leo (the lion). This naming system is called
binomial nomenclature.

• Therefore, our official title is Homo Sapien.

How can I remember all that!!!
A good way to remember lists is to make up a sentence using
the first letters in a list. In this case we want to remember
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species:
K, P, C, O, F, G, S

Here are some sentences:

Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach.
Koalas Prefer Chocolate Or Fruit, Generally Speaking
King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti
Keeping Precious Creatures Organized For Grumpy Scientists

Or how
about
this...