1. Unit 2 – Diversity of Life
Millions of species (2-4.5 million) exist on planet earth (huge amount of biodiversity).
Classifying all these species helps make sense of all the biodiversity.
Many species have become extinct in the past.
Many existing species are becoming extinct before we even know they exist! Some of these species could be important for our species in terms of medical or ecological significance.
Taxonomy – the science of naming and classifying organisms
Taxon – a group of organisms in a classification system

2. Binomial Nomenclature
Two-word standard naming system for all known organisms
Based on the dead language latin – dead because it is not spoken any more and thus doesn’t change over time
Two part name – genus + species: ex. Homo sapiens, Canis lupis
Universal over all languages so species identification cannot be mistaken from language to language.
a scientific (biological) name can help distinguish common name confusion.

3. What is a Gopher? In Saskatchewan, a gopher is this:
In Florida, a gopher is this:
Species name: Gopherus polyphemus
Species name: Urocitellus richardsonii

4. Linnaeus
Carl von Linne (Carolus Linnaeus – he “Latinized” his name) – Swedish botanist: developed the Linnaean system of classification (binomial nomenclature)
His system of naming organisms is still used today
3 rules used:
Genus – always capitalized, ex: Canis
Species – always not capitalized ex: lupis
Entire species name (genus and species) is underlined (if handwritten) or italicized (if typed)
Underlined (or italicized) so that the scientific name stand out from rest of the text present

5. 7 Levels of Classification (Taxons)
Kingdom – ex: Animals
Phylum (animals) / Division (plants) - ex: Chordata
Class – ex: Mammalia
Order – ex: Primates
Family – ex: Hominidae
Genus – ex: Homo
Species – ex: sapiens
“King Phillip Came Over For Graduation Speeches”

6. Questions 1-3, page 521 What is binomial nomenclature?
- It is a system that gives every species a unique two-part name that identifies it. The first part is the genus, and the second part is the species descriptor.
Name each taxon in the Linnaean system of classification, from most general to most specific.
- kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
What are some limitations of the Linnaean classification system?
- It only accounts for physical and structural similarities between organisms, which can be the result of convergent evolution and therefore not indicative of relatedness.

7. Questions 4-5, p521
How is a scientific name similar to an address that includes city and state?
- A state (or province) has many cities as a genus has many species. Like species descriptors, city names cannot be used alone because the same city names can occur in different states (or provinces), as with Portland (Maine and Oregon).
Which two species are more closely related: Ursus maritimus, Ursus americanus, or Bufo americanus?
- Ursus maritimus (polar bears) and Ursus americanus (black bear) are most closely related; they belong to the same genus.

8. Question 6, p521
During his voyage, Charles Darwin collected thousands to organisms, which he classified using the Linnaean classification system. How did this system help him share his findings with other naturalists?
- Others could understand the relationships between organisms, such as Darwin’s finches, and there was uniformity in temrs of language. Had he used common names alone, they would have required translation into many languages.

9. Dichotomous Keys
Dichotomous keys are used to identify objects or organisms that have already been described by another scientist.
As its name implies (di- means "two"), a dichotomous key is made up of paired statements.
Each pair of statements divides the objects to be classified into two categories.
This means that each object must fit into one category or the other, but not both.

10. Sample Dichotomous Key:

11. # of Kingdoms? 1753: Two kingdoms – Animalia & Plantae
1866: Three kingdoms – Animalia, Plantae & Protista
1938: Four kingdoms - Animalia, Plantae, Protista, & Monera
1959: Five kingdoms - Animalia, Plantae, Protista, Monera & Fungi
1977: Six Kingdoms - Animalia, Plantae, Protista, Bacteria, Fungi, & Archaea

12. History of the Kingdom System

13. 3 Domains Tree of Life

14. 3 Domains of Life Domain – Bacteria Domain – Archaea
- One kingdom: Bacteria
Single celled prokaryotes (lack a nucleus and organelles)
One of the largest group of organisms on earth
Domain – Archaea
One Kingdom: Archaea
Live in extreme environments: deep sea vents, hot geysers, Antarctic waters, salty lakes, acidic environments

15. Domain – Eukarya Four kingdoms:
Plantae
Protista
Fungi
Animalia
Single-celled (protista) or multicellular (fungi, plantae & animalia)
Eukaryotic: cells possess a nucleus and organelles

16. Questions 1-2, page 535
Why is classification of life considered a work in progress?
- Scientists are always finding more information about organisms that forces a re-examination of classification schemes.
What kingdoms are included in each of the three domains in the modern tree of life?
Bacteria: bacteria
Archaea: archaea
Eukarya: protista, fungi, plantae, animalia

17. Questions 3-4, page 535
If you come cross across an unusual single-celled organism, what parts of the cell would you study to classify it into one of the three domains?
- Nucleus (or lack thereof) and cell wall
Explain, using the traditional definition of species, why it is difficult to classify some bacteria and archaea at the species level.
A species can be defined as an interbreeding group of organisms that produce fertile offspring. But bacteria and archaea do not breed to produce offspring; they reproduce by binary fission. In reproduction, as it is generally defined, parents also pass genetic material to their offspring. However, many bacteria and archaea can take up genetic material from their environment – a transfer of genes outside of typical reproduction that does not occur in eukaryotes.

18. Question 5, p535
History of Life – The Archaea lineage may include the first life on Earth, which began under much different environmental conditions from those present today. What characteristics of archaea help support this statement?
- Archaea exist in extreme environments that are similar to those of early Earth.