1. C LASSIFICATION : Organizing Life’s Diversity

2. H OW C LASSIFICATION B EGAN Organizing items can help you understand them better & find them more easily. Biologists organize living things into groups Classification = the grouping of objects or information based on similarities Taxonomy = the branch of biology that classifies organisms.

3. W HY C LASSIFY ? Three reasons: It helps to identify relationships between organisms It requires scientists to identify important characteristics of organisms It helps to avoid confusion An organism may have misleading or multiple common names (ex. Seahorse or mountain lion/cougar/ panther/ puma) Only one scientific name ( Puma concolor)

4. A RISTOTLE Greek philosopher who developed the first biological classification system Classified things as plants or animals He didn’t know anything about microscopic organisms like bacteria Plants were grouped as herbs, shrubs, or trees Animals were grouped by where they lived or spent most of their time - land, air, or water

5. L INNAEUS Swedish botanist who developed our current classification system Based on physical and structural similarities Groupings revealed relationships between organisms Scientists proposed that structural similarities reflect evolutionary relationships

6. D OUBLE - NAME S YSTEM Binomial nomenclature = two- word naming system developed by Linnaeus 1 st word = Genus 2 nd word = species Like a first & last name Humans are Homo sapiens. House cats are Felis catus Names are Latin It is no longer used in conversation so it doesn’t change

7. B IOLOGICAL C LASSIFICATION Scientists try to identify relationships as a basis for classification Compare internal & external structures, geographical distribution, and genetics Makes it easier to understand biological diversity Dichotomous keys are used to identify the characteristics by which organisms are classified. Benefits of taxonomy: Offers a framework to study evolutionary relationships Useful for identifying dangerous organisms (poison oak, holly berries, etc) Economy – discovery of new resources for lumber, medicines, and energy

8. H OW L IVING T HINGS ARE C LASSIFIED Taxa/taxon = a group of organisms Seven Taxa categorize organisms from most general to specific characteristics. 1. Kingdom =group of phyla 2. Phylum (in plants - division) = a group of classes 3. Class = group of related orders 4. Order = group of related families 5. Family = group of genera that share characteristics 6. Genus (genera) = group of closely related species 7. Species = Latin name for an individual organism

9. E XAMPLE lions, tigers, and leopards Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Each are a different species

10. S IX K INGDOMS OF L IVING T HINGS o Kingdom Eubacteria Bacteria o Kingdom Archaebacteria Chemosynthetic Bacteria o Kingdom Protista Diverse catch-all group o Kingdom Fungi decomposers o Kingdom Plantae plants o Kingdom Animalia animals