Classification

Grouping organisms based on similarities

Taxonomy- Taxonomy is the branch of biology that groups and

names organisms based on similar characteristics.

Early Taxonomy- Aristotle- (384-322 BC)

- Grouped plants by size and animals by where they live.

- Not very affectiveAnimals Plants

Air –fly, bird, bat Herbs-sage, tea, pepper

Water-seal, fish, frog Shrubs- grass, rose bush

Land- dog, lizard, cat Trees- oak, pine, maple

Linnaeus’s System-Linnaeus (1707-1778) – grouped organisms based on

structural similarities.

Ex. Mammals have fur and reptiles have scales

Taxonomic Rankings-From larger groups to smaller groups

Kingdom King

Phylum Phillip

Class Came

Order Over

Family For

Genius Good

SpeciesSpaghetti

Binomial Nomenclature-used to name organisms

-first word is genus (capital)

-second word is species (lower case)

- Italicized when typed and underlined written.

Ex. Homo sapiens = humans

Homo= genus

sapiens= species

Phylogenetic Trees and Cladograms

• Branching diagrams that shows the evolutionary history of organisms based on derived traits

Cladogram

Dichotomous Keys-dichotomous keys characterize organisms by splitting

them into groups based on characteristics. Used to identify unknown organisms.

1.Has feathers yes go to 2

no go to 3

2. Swims yes go to 4

no go to 5

3. Has Legs yes go to 6

no go to 7

4. Duck

5. Hen

6. Lizard

7. Snake