Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

Classification of living organisms

Classification
Arrangement of living organisms in groups according to similarities and differences.

Taxonomy
Science concerns with classification of living organisms.

Species
It is a group of individuals that have similar morphological characteristics (external shape), can mate with
each other and produce fertile offsprings that are similar to them .

There are individuad that are not called by the term "species", because they are unable to mate with
each other and produce a new generation of the same species, such as:
Tigon Mule
 It is produced from the mating of a female lion  It is produced from the mating of a female
with a male tiger ( 2 different species). horse with a male donkey ( 2 different species).
 They are sterile , unable to mate , reproduce and produce new generation of the same species

Naming of living organisms

Carolus Linnaeus
Developed a system for naming the organisms and gave it the name of Binomial nomenclature .
. system
 1st part is Genus (Felis) = Cat in Latin
 2nd part is Species (domesticus) = domestic in Latin

Taxonomic hierarchy
1) Kingdom
2) Phylum
3) Class
4) Order
5) Family
6) Genus
Binomial nomenclature
7) Species

1
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

Dichotomous key

It is a series of descriptions (characteristics) that are ordered in pairs and lead the user to the identification
of a living organism that is unknown to him.

Example

Insects
wingless winged
Ant 1 pair of wings 2 pairs of wings
Legs shorter than Legs longer than the Wings are covered Transparent wings
the body body with bright scales

Fly Mosquito Dragon fly

Moth (butterfly)

Attempts of classifying the living organisms:

Trees
 Aristotle ( Animals) Red blooded Plants Shrubs
Living organisms Bloodless Weeds
 (1st classification)

 Carolus linnaeus

Animal kingdom
Traditional classification system plant kingdom

 Robert H. Whittaker
Modern classification system
- Kingdom Monera. - Kingdom Protista. – Kingdom Fungi
- Kingdom Plantae. – Kingdom Animalia

2
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

(1) Kingdom Monera

 Live individual or colony.
 Unicellular.
 Prokaryote : No fixed shape of nucleus + (Plasma)
 Cell wall : No cellulose or Pectin
 Cytoplasm : No ( Mitochondria – Plastids – Golgi bodies – ER)
Kingdom Monera is classified into 2 different divisions
Archaebacteria Eubacteria
 Harsh environment  Everywhere in Earth (water – land – air)
 Hot springs.  Autotrophic. Nostoc
 Devoid of oxygen.  Heterotrophic.
 Salty water.  Asexual Reproduction
 Differ in the structure of cell wall and cell (Binary fission).
membrane from Eubacteria.

 They have several shapes as:

 Spherical shape (Cocci).

 Rod shape (Bacilli).

 Spiral shape (Spirilla).

3
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

(2) Kingdom protista

a) Phylum b) Phylum c) Phylum d) Phylum

(Protozoa) (Euglenophyta) (Chrysophyta) (Pyrophyta)

 Free living or  Unicellular  Live in sea and

colony.  Cell wall (silica) ocean
 Unicellular.  Red pigment.
 Unicellular.
 Have plastids… ex Diamtoms
 Reproduces ex Dinoflagellates
(photosynthesis)
sexually and (move by 2flagella)
 Move by
asexually.
Flagella
 Some parasite on
ex Euglina
animals.

a) Phylum (Protozoa)
4 Classes
Sarcodina Ciliphora Flagella Sporozoa
 Move by (locomotion)  Move by cillia.  Move  Doesn’t
 Pseudopodia. by flagella move
ex Ameoba paramecium Trypanosoma Plasmodium
Parasitizes the Human Parasitizes
and the human
infects… and infects
him with him with
(Sleeping sickness) (Malaria)

4
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

(3) Kingdom Fungi

 Unicellular and multicellular (majority).
 Eukaryote , Cell wall (Lignin).
 Immobile , Heterotrophic some parasite.
 Reproduction : Sexually and Asexually (Spores)
 Filaments (hyphae) Together Mycelium
Kingdom fungi divided into 5 phyla (divisions) , the most important ones are :
Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota
 Multicellular.  Unicellular and  Multicellular.
 Hyphae (Not divided) Multicellular.  Hyphae divided by
 Spores are produced inside  Hyphae divided by (Septa) (Septa).
sporangium.  Spores are produced inside  Spores are produced
Sac like structure called inside a club-shaped
(Asci). structure called
(Basidium)
Ex  Rhizopus nigricans  Yeast (Unicellular)  Mushroom
(bread mold) Human food
Putrefaction of bread

 Penicillium
(Multicellular)
Anti biotics

5
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

(4) Kingdom Plantae

 Eukaryote.
 Cell wall (cellulose)
 Contains chloroplast ( green plastid).
 The majority reproduce Sexually.
Classified into 3 groups as follows:
Higher algae Non vascular plants. Vascular plants.

Phylum Rhodophyta
 Marine weeds
 Consist of Filaments.
 Sticking together by
Gelatinous coat.
 Their cells contains
Chromatophores of
Red pigment.
 So they are called red alga.
ex Polysiphonia
Higher algae
Phylum Phaeophyta Phylum Chlorophyta
 Marine weeds.  Some are unicellular and others
 Consists of are multicellular.
Simple or branched filaments.  Consists of filamntes.
 Their cells contains  Their cells contain chloroplasts.
Chromatophores of  So they are called green alga.
Brown pigments
 So they are called
Brown alga
Fucus Chlamydomonas alga (unicellular) :
contain cup shaped plastids.

Spirogyra alga (Multicellular) :

Unbranched filaments and its cells
contain spiral-shaped plastids .

6
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

Non – vascular plants

 No xylem or phloem (vascular tissue).
Represented in :
Phylum Bryophyta (mosses)
 Have hair for anchorage (Rhizoids)
ex Riccia (flat) Funaria (erect)

Vascular plants
 Have xylem and phloem ( vascular plant)
Classified into 3 classes
Filicatae (Ferns) Gymnospermae Angiospermae (flowering plants)
(Conifers)
 Simple plant.  Most are trees and  Terrestrial plants that have stem, root and
 Most of them are herbs and a shrubs. leaves.
few are shrubs or trees.  Non flowering plant.  Produce flowers that change into fruit
 Have stems , root and leaves.  Seed without coat which enclose seeds.
 They live in shaded-damp (pericarp). Classified into
valleys.  Carry simple needle- Monocotyledons Dicotyledons
 They carry pinnate leaves. shaped leaves. o 1 cotyledon o 2 cotyledons
 They don’t produce flowers  They carry male and o Leaves are
o Leaves are
or seeds. female cones.
 They reproduce asexually by  Reproduce sexually. narrow , parallel palmate or
spores ( found in special veins pinnate-veined
structure of leaves). o Flowers with o Flowers with
trimerous whorls tetramerous or
or their multiplies pentamerous
whorls or their
multiplies.
o Bundles o Bundles
(scattered) in the (arranged in a
stem ring ) in stem.
o Roots are fibrous. o Roots are tap

ex  Polypodium  Pinus Wheat , maize , Pea , bean ,

 Adiantum. banana , cactus , lily orange , rose and
and palm cotton

7
 Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

(5) Kingdom Animalia

 Multicellular.
 Eukaryote.
 They have the ability to move from one place to another.
 They have the ability to respond to rapidly to external stimuli in the surrounding environment.
 Most of them reproduce sexually.
 Divided into (invertebrates – vertebrates)
Classified into 9 phyla , according to the complexity degree of the body :
Porifera Cnidaria Platyhelminthes Nematoda Annelida Arthropoda Echinodermmata Mollusca chordata

4 classes
Crustaceous Arachinidia Insecta Myriapoda

Phylum chordata

 Include the most higher animals in kingdom animalia.

 Embryo of chordates are characterized by the presence of skeletal structure as its dorsal region called
(notochord) may convert into (vertebral column).

Subphylum vertebrata

 They have endoskeleton which consists of vertebral column , skull , girdles and limbs.
 They have closed circulatory (heart -blood vessels)
 Worm blooded (endotherms)
 Cold blooded (ectotherms)
Classified into several classes including :
Agnatha Chondrichthyes Osteichthyes Amphibia Reptilia Aves Mammalia

1) Agnatha

 Cartilaginous.
 They are parasites ( attach themselves by their teeth , then they snap the flesh of these fishes by
their Rough tongue).
ex  Lamprey.

8
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

2) Chondrichthyes
 Live in salt water
 The endoskeleton is Cartilaginous.
 Body covered with (Scales) similar to teeth.
 Have mouth lies on the ventral surface of the head (2 jaws carries several rows of teeth)
 Fins (Paired).
 Gills (not covered with an operculum).
 No air bladders.
 Internal fertilization.
 Unisexual
ex  Shark. Ray fish.

3) Osteichthyes

 Live in salt or fresh water.

 The endoskeleton is Bony.
 Body covered with (bony Scales)
 Mouth lies at the anterior tip of their body (Terminal)
 Fins (Medial & Paired).
 Gills (covered with an operculum).
 Have air bladder (help them in swimming and floating).
 External fertilization.
 Unisexual.
ex  Bolti (Tilapia) Pori (Mullet)

9
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

4) Amphibia
 Cold blooded animals.
 Body is covered by smooth slimy skin.
 4 limbs
Respiration
 Embryo : gills.
 Adult : lungs and skin.
 External fertilization.
 Unisexual.
 Female lay egg in water.
ex  Frog (Toad). Salamander.

5) Reptilia
 Cold-blooded animals.
 Consists of 4 regions (head- neck- trunk – tail)
 Body covered by a dry skin with thick horny scales and it may be supported by horny plates.
 4 weak pentadactyl Limbs end with horny claw.
 Limbs may be absent so some of them move by creeping.
 Respiration by 2 Lungs.
 Internal fertilization.
 Unisexual.
 Female lay eggs with calcareous or shell.
ex  Lizard Gecko | Chameleon Tortoise

 Crocodils Snake

10
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

6) Aves
 Warm-blooded animals.
 Body covered with feathers.
 4 Limbs
 2 anterior (modified into wings)
 2 posterior ( each one ends by 4 digits that are provided with horny claws) used for
 Moving on ground (as chicken)
 Climbing (Sparrow)
 Swimming (Duck)
 Predating (Hawk)
 They breath by Lungs.
 Internal fertilization.
 Unisexual.
 Female lay eggs and incubate them till hatching.
Adaptability of internal structures of birds for flying.
 Their bones are hollow and light.
 The sternum is broad for the attachment of the strong thoracic muscles which move
 the wings during flying.
 Their bodies contain air sacs which are considered the storehouses for the additional
 amounts of air during flying.

7) Mammalia
 Warm-blooded animals.
 Body consists of four regions which are the head, neck, thorax and abdomen.
 Body is surrounded by skin that is covered with hair.
 Limbs: they have 4 pentadactyl limbs that are provided with: ( Claws - Nails – Hooves -pads
 Respiration by 2 lungs.
 Teeth: they are dissimilar (incisors, canines and molars).
 Internal fertilization.
 Unisexual.
 The majority of females are viviparous and have mammary glands that secrete milk to suckle their young.
Classified into 3 subclasses
Prototheria Metatheria Eutheria
 They don't give birth, but they lay  They give birth to immature  They are placental mammals
eggs and incubate them. young. that give birth to fully
 The mother suckles its young  The mother suckles its young developed young.
with the milk that secreted from from the nipples that are found  The mother suckles its
the mammary glands on its inside a special pouch at the young with the milk that is
abdomen. bottom of its abdomen where it secreted from its mammary
 They have a cloacal open keeps its young, until they glands.
through which urine, faeses and become fully grown.
eggs emerge.

11
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

ex Duck-billed platypus. Kangaroo. It is divided into many orders

(1) Order Edentata.
(2) Order Insectivora.
(3) Order Carnivora.
(4) Order Perissocdactyla.
(5) Order Artiodactyla.
Spiny ant-eater. (6) Order Cetacea.
(7) Order Rodentia.
(8) Order Lagomorpha.
(9) Order Chiroptera.
(10) Order Proboscidea.
(1) Order Primates.

Sub class Eutheria is classified into many orders as:

Edentata  Some of them are (toothless) while the others lost their front Armadilo
teeth only. Sloth
 They have strong and curved claws.
Insectivora  They feed on insects. Hedgehod
 Their front teeth are extended outward like pincers for
capturing the prey.
Carnivora  They have large pointed canines. Lion – wolf – tiger –
 The premolars are sharp. while the molars are broad for fox- dog – cat – seal.
grinding.
 They have strong, sharp and curved claws.
Perissodactyla  They are herbivorous animals. Horse – donkey – zebra
 They are odd-toed (1 or 3). – rhinoceros.
 Each toe has a hony hoof.
 Their teeth are big-sized and adapted to grind food.
Artiodactyla  They are herbivorous animals. Sheep – goat – giraffe –
 They are even-toed. deer – camel.
 Each toe is coated with a horny hoof.
Cetacea  They are huge aquatic animals that live in seas and oceans. Whale – dolphin.
 Their two forelimbs are modified into paddle-like structures
for swimming, while their hind limbs are disappeared.
 Tail fin is horizontal.
 -They breathe by 2 lungs.
Rodentia  They have a pair of incisors in both the upper and lower jaws. Rat- gerbo – mouse –
 The incisors are sharp and chisel-shaped. squirrel.
 The tail is long and ears are small.
Lagomorpha  They have 2 pairs of incisors in the upper jaw and one pair in Rabbit.
the lower
 The tail is short and ears are long.
Chiroptera  Their forelimbs are modified into wings, where the fingers Bat
from the 2nd to the 5th are elongated and the skin extends
from the body to in between these fingers.
 They are active during night.

12
Mr / Abdullah Kotb 0127 227 4598

Proboscidea  They have long muscular proboscis. Elephant.

 The two upper incisors grow to form what is known as the
two elephant canines.
Primates  They are the most higher mammals. Monkey – lemur –
 They have 2 pairs of pentadactyl limbs, and the thumb of the gorilla – chimpanzee –
upper limbs lies away from the rest fingers. human
 The brain is large-sized and the nervous system is highly
developed in the higher forms.

13