1. Diversity of Life: Introduction to Biological Classification By Deanne Erdmann, MS BioEd Online

2. www.BioEdOnline.org Why Do We Classify Organisms? Biologists group organisms to represent similarities and proposed relationships. Classification systems change with expanding knowledge about new and well-known organisms. Tacitus bellus BioEd Online

3. www.BioEdOnline.org Leucaena leucocephala Lead tree Classification Binomial Nomenclature Two part name (Genus, species) Hierarchical Classification Seven Taxonomic Catagroies Systematics Study of the evolution of biological diversity BioEd Online

4. www.BioEdOnline.org Carolus von Linnaeus (1707-1778) Swedish scientist who laid the foundation for modern taxonomy Binomial Nomenclature Carolus von Linnaeus Two-word naming system Genus Noun, Capitalized, Underlined or Italicized Species Descriptive, Lower Case, Underlined or Italicized BioEd Online

5. www.BioEdOnline.org Hierarchical Classification Taxonomic categories KingdomKing Most general PhylumPhilip ClassCame OrderOver FamilyFor GenusGreen SpeciesSoup Most Specific BioEd Online

6. www.BioEdOnline.org Kingdoms and Domains BacteriaArchaeaEukarya BacteriaArchaeaProtistaPlantaeFungiAnimalia MoneraProtistaPlantaeFungiAnimalia The three-domain system The six-kingdom system The traditional five-kingdom system BioEd Online

7. www.BioEdOnline.org Systematics: Evolutionary Classification of Organisms Systematics is the study of the evolution of biological diversity, and combines data from the following areas. Fossil record Comparative homologies Cladistics Comparative sequencing of DNA/RNA among organisms Molecular clocks BioEd Online

8. www.BioEdOnline.org Taxonomic Diagrams MammalsTurtlesLizards and Snakes CrocodilesBirdsMammalsTurtlesLizards and Snakes CrocodilesBirds CladogramPhylogenetic Tree BioEd Online

9. www.BioEdOnline.org Dichotomous Keys Identify Organisms Dichotomous keys versus evolutionary classification Dichotomous keys contain pairs of contrasting descriptions. After each description, the key directs the user to another pair of descriptions or identifies the organism. Example: 1.a) Is the leaf simple? Go to 2 b) Is the leaf compound? Go to 3 2.a) Are margins of the leaf jagged? Go to 4 b) Are margins of the leaf smooth? Go to 5 BioEd Online

10. www.BioEdOnline.org Thank You This concludes a brief review of biological classification. You may find additional information on this section of in the expanded content talks and in the notes below each slide in the slide library. BioEd Online