Biological Classification

Group the following in any way

you would like,
but justify your grouping!
• Frogs • Humans
• Bears • Dolphins
• Ants • Sharks
• Spiders • Mushrooms
• Bacteria • Pine Trees
 Why do we Classify?
• Recognize similarities between living
things (DNA, biomolecules, cells)
• Group organisms according to those
similarities

• Taxonomy: the science of classifying

organisms
• Who created Taxonomy?
–Aristotle was the first scientist to group organisms
based on physical characteristics
–Carolus Linnaeus (1707 – 1778) a Swedish
botanist , came up with the current system.
 Classification Groups
• The groups (largest to • A sentence to help
smallest) you remember!
– Domain – Dear
– Kingdom – King
– Phylum – Philip
– Class – Came
– Order – Over
– Family – For
– Genus – Good
– Species – Soup
Levels of Classification:
The 3 Domains
(based on cell type)
Archaea

The Five
The Three Domains
Kingdoms

Eubacteria Eukaryota
 Levels of Classification:
The 6 Kingdoms
- Based on…
- Cell type
- Number of Cells
- Mode of Feeding
Final 7 Levels of Classification
1 is Largest- 7 is Smallest

1. Kingdom

7. Species 2.Phylum

7 Levels of
Classification
6. Genus 3. Class

5. Family 4. Order
 Examples of Classification
Common Pond Amoeba
• DOMAIN: Eukaryota
• KINGDOM: Protista
• PHYLUM: Sarcomastigophora
• CLASS: Sarcodina
• ORDER: Granulopodea
• FAMILY: Amoebidae
• GENUS: Amoeba
• SPECIES: Amoeba proteus
 Examples of Classification
Humans
• DOMAIN: Eukaryota (eukaryote cell)
• KINGDOM: Animalia (animal cells, heterotroph)
• PHYLUM: Chordata (all vertebrates)
• CLASS: Mammalia (all mammals)
• ORDER: Primata (all primates)
• FAMILY: Hominidae (bipedal primates)
• GENUS: Homo (humans and neanderthals)
• SPECIES: Homo sapiens (humans only!)
 Extra Credit!
• For ten points extra credit, write out the full
classification of a living organism of your
choice on a piece of paper. Think of a
living organism that you believe to be
similar, and write that classification out
next to the first. Compare and highlight
how many classification groups they
share.
 Binomial Nomenclature
• Binomial Nomenclature - the formal system of naming species. (Bi = two, nomial =
names)
• The last two classification groups (genus and species) are used to create a unique
name for each species.
– Because we use two groups for the name, similar species will have similar names.
– Example: Ursus arctos (Grizzly Bear) and Ursus maritimus (Polar Bear)
– In a species name, only the Genus is capitalized.
• Latin is the language used to make these names. Since it is no longer spoken
anywhere, we do not have to worry about it changing.
 What evidence is used to
classify?
• Homologous • Similarities in
(similar) Structures genes (DNA or
– Ex: The bones in a protein sequence)
bat’s wing are almost – Ex: Human and
the same as the
Primate DNA is
bones in a human
hand 99% similar
• Similar Behaviors
– Ex: All mammals
nurse their young
 Evidence for Classification
• Fossil Record: Past • Embryology: similar
organisms studied development patterns
through fossils in unborn of different
– Ex: Trilobites and species
horsehoe crabs – Ex: Dolphin limb buds
• Hybridization: ability
to successfully
interbreed different
species.
– Ex: Zorse
Homologous Structures
Embryology
Hybridization