PBOT 111 FINALS (WEEK 13): ▪ The goal of modern plant systematics is to

understand each of these evolutionary lines and

OUTLINE:
III. PLANT CLASSIFICATION AND SYSTEMATICS
1. Concepts
2. Levels of Taxonomic Categories
3. Cladistics
4. Types of Classification Systems
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the discussion student must be able to:
-understand the concept of plant classification and
systematics
-understand the principle of taxonomy and cladistics
-understand taxonomic categories and the differences
per level of taxonomic categories.
-differentiate the types of classification systems
I. DEFINITION AND HISTORY:
▪ Plant Taxonomy or Taxonomy:
✓ It is the science that finds, identifies,
describes, classifies, and names the different
plants.
✓ It is the study of plant classification.
*Classification requires naming, describing or
assigning features to a taxon, and identifying
species.
*Taxon or taxa: it describes each level or unit of
classification.
✓ It is the science of documenting biodiversity.
✓ The term taxonomy was originally coined by
Augustin Puramus de Candolle in 1813.
to have a system of names or nomenclature
that reflects their relationships accurately.
▪ Modern taxonomy originated in the mid-1700s
when Swedish-born Carolus Linnaeus (also
known as Carl Linnaeus or Carl von Linné)
published his multi-volume Systema naturae,
outlining his new and revolutionary method for
classifying and, especially, naming living
organisms.
▪ Prior to Linnaeus, all described species were
given long, complex names that provided much
more information than was needed and were
clumsy to use.
▪ Linnaeus took a different approach: he reduced
every single described species to a two-part,
Latinized name known as the “binomial” name.
▪ Thus, through the Linnaean system a species
such as the dog rose changed from long,
unwieldy names such as Rosa sylvestris inodora
seu canina and Rosa sylvestra alba cum
rubore, folio glabro to the shorter, easier to
use Rosa canina.
▪ Linnaeus classified this multitude of new plant
species based upon their reproductive
structures, a method which is still largely in use
today.
Levels of Taxonomic Categories

▪ Taxonomy and Systematics: THE TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES

✓ Taxonomy refers to specifically to the Examples
methods and principles of classification Monocot Dicot
(including naming and describing) while Kingdom Plantae Plantae
systematic also called as biosystematics is the Division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta
used in a broader sense to include taxonomy, Class Liliopsida Magnoliopsida
studies of evolutionary processes and studies of Order Liliales Fabales
phylogeny. Family Liliaceae Fabaceae
*Phylogeny is the hereditary relationships of (Leguminosae)
any group of organisms, basically the Genus Hymenocaulis Lupinus
evolutionary history of each member of the Species Hymenocaulis Lupinus texensis
group. caribaea
Common Name Spider lily Texas
▪ Taxonomists also called systematists, scientist bluebonnet
who specialize in classification and naming,
NOTE: The scientific name of a species is always a
immediately realized that the most scientifically
binomial, consisting of the genus and species. The
valid system of assigning names to species
species epithet is often descriptive.
would be one that reflected evolutionary
relationships.
▪ Species: the most fundamental level of
▪ At the end of the 19th century, taxonomists classification, which ideally and theoretically is a
adopted the goals of (1) developing a natural set of individuals closely related by descent
system of classification, a system in which from a common ancestor.
closely related organisms are classified
together, and (2) assigning plant names on the
basis of phylogenetic relationships.
▪ Closely related species are grouped together
into genera (singular, genus). Deciding whether
several species are closely related enough to be
placed together in the same genus is difficult.
- Some taxonomists, generally referred to as
“lumpers”, believe that even relatively distantly
related species should be grouped together in
large genera.
-Other taxonomists, called “splitters” prefer to
have many small genera, each containing only a
few species that are extremely closely related.
▪ For example, some taxonomists believe that
cranberries and blueberries are so similar that
they should go into the same genus, Vaccinium;
others think that cranberries are distinct
enough that segregating them into their own
genus, Oxycoccus, more accurately reflects
evolutionary reality.
▪ The level above genus is family, each family
being composed of one, several or often many
genera.
-Most families are well defined, with
widespread agreement as to which species and
genera belong in a particular family.
- As examples, consider how easy it is to
recognize the following families: cacti, orchids,
daisies, palms, and grasses.
▪ The level above family are order, class, division,
and kingdom.
▪ Except for kingdom, genus, and species, the
names must have a certain ending to indicate
the classification level.
▪ Division names end in –phyta, for example
Chlorophyta (green algae), Coniferophyta
(conifers), and Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)
▪ Class names end in –opsida
▪ Order names end in-ales
▪ Family names end in aceae
▪ Genera and species names do not have
standard endings
▪ Our system of nomenclature, of scientific
names, can be traced directly to Carolus
Linnaeus, a professor of natural history at the
University of Uppsala in Sweden during the
middle and latter part of the 18th century.
▪ Every species had both a genus name and a
species epithet, the basis of our present
binomial system of nomenclature.
▪ The scientific names of a species is its
genus and species designations used together
and either underlined or italicized;
Example:
Tomato is Lycopersicon esculentum.
▪ Some families have two names; the above
rules were adopted to regularize family names
so that each family is named after one of its
genera, using the –aceae suffix.
▪ The rose family was named Rosaceae,
based on the genus Rosa.
▪ For some, the old name was so well known
and so familiar that it was kept as well.
Examples:
▪ Asteraceae _____________
-Daisies, asters, sunflowers
▪ Fabaceae ______________
-Legumes, Beans, Peas, Peanuts
▪ Aracaceae ______________
-Palms
▪ Poaceae _______________
- grasses, wheat, rice, corn
▪ Brassicaceae ____________
-mustards
▪ Apiaceae ______________
-umbels, celery,dill
PART IV: TYPES OF CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
▪ Cladistics
▪ Plesiomorphy
▪ Apomorphy
▪ Homoplasy
▪ Artificial Systems of Classification
▪ Cladistics refers to a biological classification system
that involves the categorization of organisms based on
shared traits.
Organisms are typically grouped by how closely related
they are and thus, cladistics can be used to trace
ancestry back to shared common ancestors and the
evolution of various characteristics.
Although the classification of organisms began in the
early 1900’s, cladistic analysis and specific methodology
first originated in the 1960’s by Willi Hennig, referred to
as “phylogenetic systematics”.
This process involves creating phylogenies using
morphological and molecular data to visualize
evolutionary history and relationships between species.
▪ Plesiomorphy refers to the ancestral traits that a
taxon retains throughout evolution. Two or more taxa
can share plesiomorphies but reside in different groups.
When this occurs, this is termed “symplesiomorphies”.
An example of a symplesiomorphy is quadrupedalism,
or the ability to walk on four legs.
Since this is an ancestral trait exhibited by reptiles,
amphibians, and other taxa, this is a symplesiomorphy
for mammals.
Therefore, while symplesiomorphies can show distant
evolutionary trends, it cannot be used to demonstrate
more recently evolved characteristics.
▪ Apomorphy refers to a derived state used to define
specific clades. Apomorphy can be further subdivided
into “autapomorphies” and “synapomorphies”.
Autapomorphies refer to traits that are exhibited only
by one species or group, whereas synapomorphies refer
to entire clades which can be classified by the presence
of a particular trait.
An example of synapomophy includes the presence of
digits, shared by all tetrapods. An example of an
autapomorphy is the capacity of human verbal speech,
which is not exhibited by other primates, and is thus, a
distinguishing human trait.
▪ Homoplasy refers to a character state that is shared
by at least two organisms but is not found in the
common ancestor or predecessor.
Thus, the trait is aid to have evolved as a result of
convergence or a reversal.
A famous example of homoplasy is the evolution of
warm-bloodedness in both mammals and birds, despite
the absence of this trait from the common ancestor.
Therefore, evidence indicates that the trait of warm-
bloodedness must have evolved separately within each
clade.
▪ Artificial Systems of Classification in which several
key characters, often very easy to observe, are chosen
as the basis of classification.
It is typically have the goal of easy plant identification
by means of obvious character such as flower color and
plant habit. Alternatively, an artificial system may be
designed to group together plants with economically or
scientifically important features.