PRINCIPLES OF

BACTERIAL TAXONOMY
AND NUMERICAL
TAXONOMY.
Submitted by
Thamanna KM
S1 Msc Microbiology
Introduction
 Taxonomy is the branch of biological systematics that is concerned with
naming of organisms (according to a set of rules developed for the process),
Identification (referring specimens to previously named taxa),and
classification (ordering taxa into an hierarchy based on perceived characters.
 Carolus linnaeus, the Swedish botanical taxonomist who was the first person
to formulate and adhere to a uniform system for defining and naming the
world’s plants and animals.
 The term taxonomy was originally coined by Augustin Pyramus de candolle in
1813 (stuessy; 1990,1994).The term taxonomy is derived from Greek Taxis
(arrangement) and Nomos (law).
 Modern taxonomy is called as biosystematics.In modern taxonomy
classification is based on phylogenetic relationships of the organisms.In
classical taxonomy, only a few individuals were studied. But in modern
taxonomy the large number of individuals were studied
 In classical taxonomy, only a few individuals were studied. But in modern
taxonomy the large number of individuals were studied.It helps us to
categorise organism so we can more easily communicate biological
informations.It uses hierarchical way to help scientists understand and
organise the diversity of life on our planet.
 The seven main Taxonomic ranks are Kingdom, Phylum/Division, Class, Order,
Family, Genus, Species.
 In classical taxonomy, only a few individuals were studied. But in modern
taxonomy, the large number of individuals were studied.
 Numerical taxonomy is a classification system in biological systematics which
deals with the grouping by numerical methods of taxonomic units based on
their character states.It aims to create a taxonomy using numerical
algorithms like cluster analysis rather than using subjective of their properties
 The first concept was developed by Robert R.Sokal and Peter H.A Sneath in
1963 and later elaborated by same authors.The other name of numerical
taxonomy is PHENETICS which was introduced in1950s.
 The principles of numerical taxonomy is, Every character should be given
equal weightage in creating new taxa.For comparison purpose, the similarity
between any 2 entities is considered.Correlation of of characters differs in
the groups of organisms under study, thus distinct taxa can be recognised.
CLASSIFICATION, NOMENCLATURE AND
TAXONOMY
 The basic taxonomic unit in bacteria is the species; two species differ from
one another in several features determined by genes.
 The methods most widely adopted is presented in successive editions of
Berger’s Manual Of Determinative Bacteriology.
 Bacterial taxonomy or systematics comprises three components :
1. Classification, or the orderly arrangement of units.A group of units is called a
Taxon (pl taxa), Irrespective or its hierarchic level.
2. Identification of an unknown with a defined and Named unit.
3. Nomenclature, or the naming units.
Bacterial classification

 A kingdom is divided successively into division, class, order, family, tribe, genus, and species.
An important difference between the classification of bacteria and that of other organisms is
that in the former, the properties of a population are studied, and not of an individual.
1. A population derived by binary fission from a single cell is called a clone.
2. A single bacterial colony represents a clone.Though all cells in a clone are expected to be
identical in all respects, a few of them may show differences due to mutation
3. A population of bacteria derived from a particular source, such as a patient, is called a
strain.
 The general absence of sexual reproduction in bacteria serves to keep their character
constant.But bacteria possess several features that contribute to some degree of
heterogeneity in their populations. Their short generation time and high rate of mutation
lead to the presence, in any population, of cells with altered characters.
 Methods of genetic exchange such as transformation, transduction and conjugation cause
differences in character.Prophage and Plasmid DNA can induce new properties.
Importance of Taxonomy.
 Biodiversity: In last two and half century only one million animals and 0.5
million plants identified. This forms 10% of worlds organisms. Many may
extinct before discovered. Status to be studied to conserve.
 Base of research and studies:
1. Use in medicine.
2. Agricultural and pest management.
3. Identified of pests.
4. Identification of natural enemies.
5. Fisheries.
6. Conservation.
Taxonomic keys

 Dichotomous key
 Bracket key
 Serial key
 Indented key
 Branching key
 Circular key
 Box key
 Multi-entry key
Classifications
 1. Phenetic / Adansonian classification
Introduced by Michael adanson. Best natural classification system.
Organism are grouped together based on the mutual similarity of their
phenotypic character. Not dependent on phylogenetic analysis. Organism
sharing many character make up a single group.
 2. Phylogenetic classification
Branching tree like arrangement. One character is used for division at
each level. Mainly based on evolutionary relationship. One draw back is,
the character used may not be valid because of absence of fossil records.
 3. Molecular or Genetic classification
One of the best method. Mainly based on genetic relatedness. All
properties are based on genes. Genetics relatedness is tested by DNA
sequencing, DNA hybridisation, Determination of base composition & base
ratio.
 4. INTRASPECIES CLASSIFICATION
For diagnostic & epidemiological purpose. Used to sub classify bacterial species.
Mainly based on biochemical properties, antigenic properties, production of
toxins etc. Two methods are employed. Phenotypic method – by electrophoresis.
Genotypic method – PCR , southern blotting, nucleotide sequence analysis.

Major characteristics used in Taxonomy.

1. Morphological.
2. Physiological.
3. Biochemical.
4. Ecological.
5. Genetics.
 1. Morphological characters
: Easy to study & analyse.
: Morphological comparisons are valuable because structural features depend on
the expression of many genes.
: Light microscopy is an important tool.
: TEM & SEM help the study of all microbial groups.

MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS EMPLOYED ARE:

- Cell shape
– Cell size
– Colony morphology
– Ultra structural characteristics
– Staining
– Cilia
– Flagella
– Mechanism of motility
– Color
 2. Physiological and metabolic character
: The main character considered are carbon, energy & nitrogen sources , cell
wall components, general nutritional type , storage inclusion etc.
 3. Ecological characters
: Even closely related microorganisms can differ considerably with respect to
the ecological characteristics.
: Microorganisms living in various parts of the human body differ from one
another.
: Main ecological properties are-
- Life cycle patterns.
- Nature of symbiotic relationships.
- Ability to cause disease in a particular host.
- Habitat preferences such as requirement for temperature, pH, oxygen &
osmotic concentration.
 4. Genetic analysis
: Transformation & conjugation are useful in classification.
: Plasmids are also important in taxonomy because they are present in most
bacterial genera.
TAXONOMIC RANKS
 AN EXAMPLE OF TAXONOMIC RANKS AND NAMES:
The following is a short description of the taxonomic ranks that make up the
taxonomic hierarchy.
 DOMAIN
A domain is the highest rank of organisms.Linnaeus did invent some of the
taxonomic ranks, but he did not invent the domain rank, which is relatively
new.The 3 domains of life are bacteria,archaea,eukaryota.
 KINGDOM
Before domains, kingdom was the highest taxonomic rank.The different
kingdoms are Animalia,plantae,fungi,protista,archaea and bacteria (archaea and
bacteria were sometimes grouped into one kingdom, Monera).
 PHYLUM
Phylum is the next rank after kingdom.more specific than kingdom.but less
specific than class.There are 35 phyla in the kingdom animalia,including
chordata,porifera and arthropoda.
 CLASS
Class was the most general rank proposed by linnaeus. There are 108 different
classes in the kingdom animalia, including mammals ,aves, and reptiles.
 ORDER
Order is more specific than class. Some of linnaeus orders are still used today,
such as Lepidoptera. There are between 19-26 orders of mammal, depending on
how organisms are classified – sources differ. Some order of mammalian are
primates, cetaceans and Carnivora and Chiroptera.
 FAMILY
Family is, in turn, more specific. Some families are in the order Carnivora, for
example are Canidae,felidae,mephitidae and ursine. There are 12 total families
in the order carnivora.
 GENUS
It is the first part of an organism scientific name using binomial nomenclature;
the second part is the species name. An organism scientific name is always
italicised, and the genus name is capitalised while the species name is not. Genus
and species are the only taxonomic ranks that are italicised.for example the
scientific name for the humans is homo sapiens.
 SPECIES
Species is the most specific major taxonomic rank; species are sometimes divided
into subspecies , but not all species have multiple forms that are different enough
to be called subspecies. There are an estimated 8.7 million different species of
organisms on earth, but the vast majority have yet to be discovered and categorised.
While each genus name is unique, the same species name can be used for different
organisms.
For example, Ursus Americanus is the American black beer, while Bufo Americanus
is the American toad.species name is the only taxonomic rank that is not capitalised.
In the scientific article the species name is used many times, it is abbreviated after
the first full use by using just the first letter of the genus name along with the full
species name, Homo sapiens is abbreviated to H. Sapiens.
EXAMPLES OF TAXONOMY
The scientific classification of humans is as follows;
 NUMERICAL TAXONOMY
 The development of computers has made possible the quantitative approach
known as Numerical taxonomy.
 Peter H.A. Sneath and Robert Sokal have defined numerical taxonomy as “the
grouping by numerical methods of taxonomic units into taxa on the basis of
their character states.”
 Information about the properties of organisms is covered into a form suitable
for numerical analysis and then compared by means of a computer.The
process begins with a determination of the presence or absence of selected
characters in the group of organisms under study.
 Many characters, at least 50 and several hundred, should be compared for an
accurate and reliable classification.It is best to include many different kinds
of data: morphological, Biochemical, and physiological.
 After character analysis, an association coefficient, a function that measure
the agreement between characters possessed by two organism, is calculated
for each pair of organisms in the group.
 The simple matching coefficient (Ssm), the most commonly used coefficient
in bacteriology, is the proportion of characters that match regardless of
whether the attribute is present absent.
 Sometimes the jacquard coefficient (Sj) Is calculated by ignoring any
character that both organisms lack.Both coefficients increase linearly in value
from 0.0 (no matches) to1.0 (100% matches).
 The results of numerical taxonomic analysis are often summarised with a
treelike diagram called Dendrogram.
Nomenclature
 The need for applying generally accepted names for bacterial species is self-
evident.
 The scientific name usually consists of two words, the first being the name of
the genus and the second the specific epithet (for example, bacillus subtilis).
The generic name is usually a latin noun.
 The specific epithet is an adjective or noun and indicate some property of the
species (for example, albus , meaning white), the animal in which it is found
(for example, suit , means pig), the disease it causes (tetani, of tetanus), the
person who discovered it (welchii, after welch) or the place of its isolation
(London).
 The generic name always begins with a capital letter and the specific either
with a small letter, even if it refers to a person or place (for example,
salmonella London).
CONCLUSION
 Taxonomy is the science of biological classification. Classification is the
arrangement of organisms into groups. Nomenclature refers to the assignment
of names to taxonomic groups.
 Identification refers to the determination of the particular taxon to which a
particular isolate belongs. Bacterial taxonomy is a means by which
microorganisms can be grouped together.
 Organisms having similarities with respect to the criteria used are in the same
group, and are separated from the other groups of microorganisms that have
different characteristics.
 Numerical taxonomy has proved to be a powerful tool in microbial taxonomy.
And this method also can be used to compare sequences of macromolecules
such as RNA&Proteins.
REFERENCES
 1. MICROBIOLOGY AN INTRODUCTION (13 th edition) By Gerad j. Tortora ,
Berdell R. Funke , Christine L. Case. Published by Benjamin cummings Part
01 page no:04
 2. PRESCOTT’S PRINCIPLES OF MICROBIOLOGY By Joanne M.Willey, Linda
M.Sherwood, Christopher J. Woolverton. Published by Mcgraw hill education
Chapter 19 page no:444,445,446
 3. TEXTBOOK OF MICROBIOLOGY (10 th edition) By Ananthanarayana &
paniker’s published by universities press(India) Chapter 01 page no:4,5,6
THANK YOU