1. 18-1 Finding Order in Diversity
Photo credit: ©Gary Randall/Visuals Unlimited
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

2. 18-1 Finding Order in Diversity
Natural selection and other processes have led to a staggering diversity of organisms.
Biologists have identified and named about
9 million species so far.
They estimate that 2–100 million additional species have yet to be discovered.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

3. Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Why Classify?
Why Classify?
To study the diversity of life, biologists use a classification system to name organisms and group them in a logical manner.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

4. Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Why Classify?
In the discipline of taxonomy, scientists classify organisms and assign each organism a universally accepted name.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

5. Assigning Scientific Names
Common names of organisms vary, so scientists assign one name for each species.
Always in Latin.
Genus species
Homo sapiens
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

6. Assigning Scientific Names
Carolus Linneaus developed a naming system called binomial nomenclature.
In binomial nomenclature, each species is assigned a two-part scientific name.
The scientific name is italicized.
Canis familiaris
Felis catus
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

7. Linnaeus’s System of Classification
Linnaeus not only named species, he also grouped them into categories.
What is Linneaus’s system of classification?
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

8. Linnaeus's System of Classification
Linnaeus's seven levels of classification are—from smallest to largest—
species
genus
family
order
class
phylum
kingdom
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

9. Linnaeus's System of Classification
 Each level is called a taxon, or taxonomic category.
Species and genus are the two smallest categories.
Grizzly bear
Black bear
Linnaeus’s hierarchical system of classification uses seven taxonomic categories. This illustration shows how a grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, is grouped within each taxonomic category. Only some representative species are illustrated for each category above the species level.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

10. Linnaeus's System of Classification
Genera that share many characteristics are grouped in a larger category, the family.
Grizzly bear
Black bear
Giant panda
Linnaeus’s hierarchical system of classification uses seven taxonomic categories. This illustration shows how a grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, is grouped within each taxonomic category. Only some representative species are illustrated for each category above the species level.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

11. Linnaeus's System of Classification
An order is a broad category composed of similar families.
Grizzly bear
Black bear
Giant panda
Red fox
Linnaeus’s hierarchical system of classification uses seven taxonomic categories. This illustration shows how a grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, is grouped within each taxonomic category. Only some representative species are illustrated for each category above the species level.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

12. Linnaeus's System of Classification
The next larger category, the class, is composed of similar orders.
Grizzly bear
Black bear
Giant panda
Red fox
Abert squirrel
Linnaeus’s hierarchical system of classification uses seven taxonomic categories. This illustration shows how a grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, is grouped within each taxonomic category. Only some representative species are illustrated for each category above the species level.
Class Mammalia
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

13. Linnaeus's System of Classification
Several different classes make up a phylum.
Grizzly bear
Black bear
Giant panda
Red fox
Abert squirrel
Coral snake
PHYLUM Chordata
Linnaeus’s hierarchical system of classification uses seven taxonomic categories. This illustration shows how a grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, is grouped within each taxonomic category. Only some representative species are illustrated for each category above the species level.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

14. Linnaeus's System of Classification
The kingdom is the largest and most inclusive of Linnaeus's taxonomic categories.
Grizzly bear
Black bear
Giant panda
Red fox
Abert squirrel
Coral snake
Sea star
KINGDOM Animalia
Linnaeus’s hierarchical system of classification uses seven taxonomic categories. This illustration shows how a grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, is grouped within each taxonomic category. Only some representative species are illustrated for each category above the species level.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

15. Linnaeus's System of Classification
Grizzly bear
Black bear
Giant panda
Red fox
Abert squirrel
Coral snake
Sea star
Linnaeus’s hierarchical system of classification uses seven taxonomic categories. This illustration shows how a grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, is grouped within each taxonomic category. Only some representative species are illustrated for each category above the species level.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall