MAKING SENSE OF

A Level Biology

Classification and Biodiversity

Copyright © 2017 Henry Exham

Icons CC – The Pink Group
 Classification and Biodiversity
Introduction
• People have been classifying things since the time of
Aristotle. However with new scientific technology we
can now be more precise about how we classify
organisms.
• In this topic you will learn about how to classify
organisms and also why.
• You will also learn more about how the issues with
classification and how scientists work to look at new
evidence.
• This leads into looking at how species have changed
over time and therefore evolution will be covered.
• Finally the global importance of biodiversity is
discussed and how to measure it.
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MAKING SENSE OF
Classification and Biodiversity

3.1 Classification
3.2 Natural Selection
3.3 Biodiversity

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 3.1 Classification
Objective Questions
• Can you name all the taxonomic groups in the
hierarchical classification system?
• What are the issues with defining a species?
• Why is it hard to assign organisms to a particular
species?
• How can gel electrophoresis, DNA sequencing and
bioinformatics be used to help with classification?
• Do you understand how scientific journals, the peer
review process and scientific conferences work in order
to validate new scientific evidence for evolution?
• What is the evidence for the three domain system over
the five-kingdom model and how have the scientific
community worked to validate this evidence? 4
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 3.1 Classification
Introduction
• The variety of life on earth is simply phenomenal!
• In this section you will learn about how exactly we
classify all these living organisms and what
methods we use to do it.
• It is vital that we do this so that we have a
catalogue of past and present species.
• It needs to be internationally accepted so that
scientists all over the world can work to together
regardless of language.
• Scientists can use classification to look at
evolutionary patterns, monitor populations and
biodiversity.
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 3.1 Classification
Carl Linnaeus
• Carl Linnaeus (1707-78)is the
godfather of taxonomy (the
science of classification).
• He used the physical features
(morphology) of organisms to
put them into particular groups.
• He devised a hierarchical
structure for classification
which is still used today but just
slightly modified.
• He also devised a clever way of
naming organisms called the
binomial system which is also
still used.
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 3.1 Classification
Taxonomic groups
• Linnaeus took all of life and split it into
smaller and smaller groups called
taxonomic groups.
• For example he noticed that animals
and plants are different and so he put
them into separate kingdoms, then
within each group he split them up
further into phylums. So for animals
he split them up into vertebrates and
invertebrates.
• Each group is split into smaller groups
until you reach the individual species.
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 3.1 Classification
Taxonomic groups
How to classify the lion

DOMAIN (Eukaryota – 8.7 million)

KINGDOM (Animal – 1.5 million species)

PHYLUM (Chordates – 40,000 species)

CLASS (Mammals – 5,488 species)

ORDER (Carnivorans – 280 species)

FAMILY (Cat – 36 species)

GENUS (Panthera – 5 species)

SPECIES (leo)

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 3.1 Classification
Taxonomic groups
• This is how to remember the groups!

DELICIOUS
KING
PRAWN
CURRY
OR
FAT
GREASY
SAUSAGES
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 3.1 Classification
Three domains
• For a very long time life was classified
into 5 kingdoms.
• Animals, plants, fungi, protoctists
and bacteria.
• However using technology, such as
DNA analysis discussed later in this
topic, it was realised that actually
there seemed to be two distinct
groups of prokaryotes and one of
them (Archaea bacteria) probably
gave rise to the other 4 eukaryotic
kingdoms. 10
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 3.1 Classification
Three domains
• Therefore a new taxonomic group
was added above the kingdom
level called domain.
• The three domain system of
classification was introduced in
1977.
• The three domains are: Archaea,
Eubacteria and Eukaryota.

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 3.1 Classification
Three domains
Archaea
Bacteria
Eukaryota

LIFE
• This is phylogenetic tree which shows how life evolved.
• If you start at the bottom where it says life and move up it can be seen that life splits into
two sections.
• The blue ones are the Bacteria which consist of one kingdom called the Eubacteria. These
are typical bacteria as we described them in topic 2.
• The other half of life developed into the Archaea which is made of one kingdom the
archaebacteria. These are ancient bacteria that we have discovered living in extreme
environments. From analysis it seems that they gave rise to the eukaryota.
• That is why they branch off from here shown in brown. They contain 4 kingdoms
(animalia, plantae, fungi and protista).
• So there are now 3 domains and 6 kingdoms.
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 3.1 Classification
Evidence for the three
domains
• The evidence that lead to this theory being put forward
included:
– Differences in the sequences of nucleotides in the cell's
ribosomal RNAs
– Cell membrane lipid structure
– Sensitivity to antibiotics and toxins

• It was enough for the scientific community to accept

that there are definitely two distinct groups of
prokaryotes and one of eukaryotes and therefore there
should be three domains.
• There is still plenty of debate about how the initial life
on Earth started and how these three initial cell types
came into existence from it.
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 3.1 Classification
Eukaryota kingdoms
PLANTAE ANIMALIA

Autotrophs (make own food) Heterotrophs (Eat others for food)

Contain chlorophyll for photosynthesis Capable of whole body movement
Cellulose cell walls No cell walls

FUNGI PROTISTA

Mostly saprophytic (live off dead

Strange set of microscopic organisms
organisms using extracellular digestion)
that can have features of the other
Chitin cell wall
kingdoms
Reproduce by spores

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 3.1 Classification
Binomial system
• This is the system Carl Linnaeus devised for
naming organisms.
• Every organism is given two Latin names
– Genus name
– Species name
The Rules

• The genus name has an upper-case first letter

• The species name has a lower-case first letter
• Italics should always be used unless hand written when
they should be underlined.
• After the first use the binomial names are abbreviated
to the initial of the genus and the species name.

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 3.1 Classification
Binomial system
• What is the binomial name of the gorilla?

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Pongidae
Genus: Gorilla
Species: gorilla
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 3.1 Classification
Binomial system
The answer is:

Gorilla gorilla

Or abbreviated to G. gorilla

• The binomial name for

humans is:
Homo
sapiens.
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