CLASSIFICATION
Carolus Linnaeus
1707 – 1778
● 18th century
● Classified organisms by their
structure
● Developed the naming system:
binomial (2 name)
Use of Classification
Classification hierarchy has many uses.
First, it helps scientists to sort organisms in
order.
Second, it helps them to identify new organisms
by finding out which group they fit.
Third, it is easier to study organisms when they
are sorted in groups
Three systems of classification
1. Artificial classification
● This type of classification is based on habitat, external features,
i.e., morphology or on the numeric number of the sex organs.
● It did not take into account the relationship between the different
organisms.
● Organisms belonging to different groups were placed together
e.g., birds and bats were placed in the same group due to their
ability to flight.
● Separated the closely related species.
Three systems of classification
2. Natural classification
● It was based on considering the morphology,
ultrastructure, anatomy, embryology and physiochemistry.
● It does not consider habit and habitat as characteristics for
classifying organisms.
● It considered characteristics of each and every organism.
● It helped the related organisms to be placed in one group
only.
● The system prevents placing together the non-related
organisms
Three systems of classification
3. PHYLOGENETIC CLASSIFICATION
The evolutionary history of a particular species is
called phylogeny. Classification of organisms
based on the basis of evolution is called
evolutionary or phylogenetic classification.
Standardized Naming
Binomial Nomenclature
When writing a scientific name, the genus name is written first and
starts with a capital letter, and the species name is written second
and starts with a small letter. The scientific name ought to be printed
in italics when typed and underlined separately when handwritten.
The tiger belongs to the genus called Panthera and the species called
tigris, therefore its scientific name will be typed as Panthera tigris, or
handwritten as Panthera tigris. Scientific names are universal
because, for instance, every biologist will understand that Felis catus
means ‘house cat’ without resorting to the dictionary, no matter what
language they speak. Can you think of the scientific names for some
more organisms?
Binomial nomenclature used
Genus species
Two-word naming system
Genus
●Noun, Capitalized,
●Underlined or Italicized
Species
●Descriptive, Lower Case,
●Underlined or Italicized
Classification Groups
There is a hierarchy of groups (taxa) from
broadest to most specific
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order,
Family, Genus, species
Hierarchy-Taxonomic Groups
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Hierarchy-Taxonomic Groups
Domains
● Three domains
● Archaea and Bacteria are unicellular
prokaryotes (no nucleus or
membrane-bound organelles)
● Eukarya are more complex and have a
nucleus and membrane-bound
organelles
ARCHAEA
● Kingdom - ARCHAEBACTERIA
● Probably the 1st cells to evolve
● Found in:
● Sewage Treatment Plants (Methanogens)
● Thermal or Volcanic Vents (Thermophiles)
● Hot Springs or Geysers that are acid
● Very salty water (Dead Sea; Great Salt Lake) -
Halophiles
BACTERIA
● Kingdom - EUBACTERIA
● Some may cause DISEASE
● Found in ALL HABITATS except harsh
ones
● Important decomposers for environment
● Commercially important in making cottage
cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, etc.
Domain Eukarya is Divided
into Kingdoms
● Protista (protozoans, algae…)
● Fungi (mushrooms, yeasts …)
● Plantae (multicellular plants)
● Animalia (multicellular animals)
Protista
● Most are unicellular
● Some are
multicellular
● Some are
autotrophic, while
others are
heterotrophic
Fungi
● Multicellular, except
yeast
● Absorptive
heterotrophs (digest
food outside their
body & then absorb it)
● Cell walls made of
chitin
Plantae
● Multicellular
● Autotrophic
● Absorb sunlight to make
glucose – Photosynthesis
● Cell walls made of
cellulose
Animalia
● Multicellular
● Ingestive heterotrophs
(consume food & digest
it inside their bodies)
● Feed on plants or
animals
Basis for Modern
Taxonomy
● Homologous structures (same
structure, different function)
● Similar embryo development
● Molecular Similarity in DNA,
RNA, or amino acid sequence
of Proteins
Dichotomous Keys Identify
Organisms
A dichotomous key, which is
used to identify an unknown
plant or animal species, is a
very important tool used by
biologists. A dichotomous key
is made up of many points,
each with 2 parts.
Cladogram
Diagram showing how organisms
are related based on shared,
derived characteristics such as
feathers, hair, or scales
