Biology

Classification

Classification as external and

characteristics.
internal

Definition (DNA sequences are checked for

similarities and can be used to be
Classification is the process placing determined ancestry)
organisms into groups based on
their similarties. Studying
Two Types of Classification
Classification The study of classification is called
taxonomy. This was done by a
 Artificial classification- Swedish scientist called Carl
placing organisms into Linnaeus in the 18th century.
groups based on
visisble/observable
characteristics. Examples are:
colour, shape, venation,
antenna, number of legs.
 Natural Classification-
placing organisms into
groups based on natural
relationships between
organisms, behaviour as well
Why Do We Need  Several closely related
species are grouped into a
to Classify genus (pl; genera).
 Several genera are then
Organisms grouped into a family
 Several families into orders
1. Allows scientists around the  Orders into classes
world to better be able to  Classes into phyla (sing;
communicate. All scientists phylum)
study the Latin name of  Phyla into kingdoms
organisms.
2. Allows scientists to easily
find closely related Classification
organisms.  Kingdom is the most general
group
 Species is the smallest, most
exact groups of organisms.
How Organisms Species is a group of
are Classified organisms that closely
resemble each other and are
able to produce fertile
offspring.
 Carl Linnaeus gave each
organism two Latin names.
The first name is the genus, it
must begin with a capital
letter. The second name is the
name of the species and it
must begin with a common
letter.
Example: Human- Homo
sapien
 Ackee- Blighia 2. Eukarya- organisms
sapida whose cells do not have a
nucleus
Flowers of the NOTE: Viruses do not fall
within the classification
Same Genus system

Domain
Prokaryotes
This domain only consists of
Kingdom Prokaryotae.
Taxonomic Domain
Classifications Eukaryotes
This domain consists of

 Kingdom Fungi
 Kingdom Animalia
 Kingdom Plantae
 Kingdom Protoctisa

NOTE: There are a total of five (5)

kingdoms.
Domains
There are 2 domains: Kingdom
1. Prokarya- organisms
whose cells have a nucleus
Prokaryotae
Includes bacteria and the green-
blue bacteria  The protozoa (animal-like)
Characteristics:

 Unicellullar (single-celled),
microscopic
 No nucleus, mitochondria,
chlorophyll or endoplasmic
reticulum Characteristics:
 Saprophytic or parasitic  True nucleus
 Have a cell wall  No cell wall
The Algae

 Algae are plant-like and so

they have the ability to
photosynthesize
 Algae may be multicellular
Kingdom are unicellular
 The multicellular types
Protoctista have no real stem, roots or
leaves, just a simple body
This includes mainly simple
known as the thallus.
organisms which mainly live in
water. The Protozoa
For example: Amoeba

 The algae(plant-like)

Paramecium
 will focus on two, phylum
Arthropoda and Phylum Chordata.
The seven (7) phyla are:

 Phylum Porifera
Kingdom Fungi  Phylum Cnideria
 Phylum Annelida
Many fungi do not have  Phylum Echinodermata
chlorophyll for photosynthesis and
 Phylum Mollusca
they feed saprophytically on
 Phylum Arthropoda
organic material.
 Phylum Chordata
(Saprophytic nutrition involves
organisms feeding on dead and Phylum Porifera
decaying organisms. Saprophytes
secrete enzymes that digest these  Sponges
dead materials which they then
absorbed after it has been digested)
Some fungi causes diseases, these
are parasites. They reproduce by
spores.

Phylum Cnideria
 These organisms have a ring
of tentacles
 Anemone
Kingdom
Animalia
We will look at the seven (7) phyla
within Kingdom Animalia, but we
Phylum Annelida
 These include segmented
worms
 Earthworm, clamworm

Phylum Mollusca
 Unsegmented
 Many have a protective shell
 Have a muscular foot

Phylum
Arthropoda
Phylum  These include animals with
jointed legs but no back
Echinodermata  Very successful group of
 Starfish, sea urchin organisms as they have a
 These organisms have water-proof exoskeleton
5 segment radial which allows them to live on
symmetry dry land and withstand harsh
conditions.
 They are the largest group of
organisms
 Class Insecta
There are four (4) classes within  House fly, roach
this Phylum. grasshoppers
1. Class Crustacea  3 pairs of legs
2. Class Arachnida  Body divided into head,
3. Class Insecta thorax and abdomen (3
4. Class Myriapoda segments)
 Most have 2 pairs of wings
Class Crustacea (some have one)
 Crabs, lobsters, woodlouse  A pair of compound eyes
 Have gills
 5 or 7 pairs of legs
 Boy divided into head, thorax
and abdomen (3 segments)

Class Myriapoda
 Millipede, centipede
 Body has may segments and
many pairs of legs
Class Arachnida  One pair of antennae

 Spiders, scorpions, ticks

 4 pairs of legs
 No antennae
 Body divided into head and
abdomen (2 segments)
 Phylum
Chordata
 Have a rod that runs
down the body
 Has a dorsal nerve
that forms a brain at
the exterior end
 Most have a skeleton
of bone and cartilage
Class Pisces (Fish)
 These include the fishes
 All fishes live in water except
the mudskipper which can
breathe for a short time
Characteristics:
 Vertebrates with scaly skin
 Have gills
 Have fins
Class Amphibia
 Most adult amphibians live
on land and only return to
water to breed or reproduce
 Frogs and
amphibians
toads are
Characteristics:
 Vertebrates with moist, scale-
less skin
 Eggs are laid in water(eg.
The tadpole lives in water)
 Young amphibians (larvae,
eg: tadpole) have gills
 Adults live on land and so
they have lungs
Class Reptilia
 These include the crocodiles,
snakes, lizards, turtles and
tortoises
 Do not need to return to
water to reproduce as their
eggs have a protective,
waterproof shell which
prevents drying out.
Characteristics:
 Vertebrates with scaly skin
 Lay eggs with rubbery shells

Class Aves (Birds)
 These include the birds
 They also lay eggs with
waterproof shells
Characteristics:
 Vertebrates with feathers
 The forelimbs have become
wings
 Lay eggs with hard shells
 Have a beak
 Homoeothermic/endothermic
(can regulate their own body
temperature)
Class Mammalia
Characteristics:
 Vertebrates with hair
 Have a placenta
 Yung feed on milk from
mammary glands
 Heart has four (4) chambers
 Have a diaphragm
 Have different types of teeth
(incisors, canines, premolars,
incisors)
Kingdom Plantae
 Most plants are green due to
presence of chlorophyll in
their cells
Characteristics:
 Unicellular or Multicellular
 Autotrophic (make their own
food by photosynthesis)
 Photosynthesize
 Cell walls made of cellulose
There are four (4) main
Phylum in Kingdom Plantae:
 1. Phylum Bryophyta-
mosses and liverworts
2. Phylum Filicinophyta-
ferns
3. Phylum Coniferophyta-
produces seeds no real  Some dicots are epistomatous
flowers
i.e., they have a stomata only
4. Phylum
on one surface on their
Angiospermophyta-
leaves. Monocots are
produces seeds and
amphistomatous i.e.,
flowers
monocot leaves have stomata
Phylum Angiospermata on both the upper and lower
surface.
Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons
 Dicots have petals in
Monocotyledons
multiples of four or five. May
 Narrow leaves with straight, bear fruit (if is a tree).
parallel veins Monocots have petals in
 Seed contains an embryo multiples of three.
which has one cotyledon  Dicots have tap roots, while
Eg: grasses, sugarcane monocots have fibrous roots.
Dicotyledons

 Broad leaves with a network

of (branched)veins
 Seed contains embryo with 2
cotyledons
Eg: Hibiscus