Living Mysteries

Creatures of the Earth

Scientific or Biological Classification 1

This is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms.

Scientific classification can also be called scientific taxonomy.

Modern classification has its root in the work of Carolus Linnaeus, who grouped species according to shared physical characteristics.

Scientific or Biological Classification 2

These groupings have been revised since Linnaeus to improve consistency with the Darwinian principle of common descent: Molecular systematics.

This uses DNA sequences as data, (thus leading to many recent revisions & will likely continue to do so.)

Scientific classification belongs to the science of taxonomy or biological systematics

Carolus Linnaeus (1707 – 1778) was a

Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1]

Laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature.

He is known as the "father of modern taxonomy."

He is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology Video Clip MNH

Taxonomy At one time this was only known as, the

science of classifying living things.

The word comes from the Greek τάξις, taxis, 'order' + νόμος, nomos, 'law' or 'science'.

Taxonomy The 7 levels of taxonomy are:

1. Kingdom

2. Phylum (for animals) or Division (for plants & fungi)

3. Class

4. Order

5. Family

6. Genus

7. Species.

Phylogenetic Trees vs Cladistics 2 major ways to study the relationships

between organisms.

Phylogenetic Tree - 1 A.K.A. An evolutionary tree or a tree of life.

This is a tree showing the evolutionary interrelationships among various species or other entities that are believed to have a common ancestor.

Mini video (How closely related species are to each other over a period of time.)

Phylogenetic Tree -2 In this layout, each node with descendants

represents the most recent common ancestor of the descendants.

The lengths on the

tree sometimes

corresponding

to time estimates.

Cladistics - 1 A branch of biology that determines the

evolutionary relationships between organisms based on derived similarities.

This is the most common form of systematics, that study the evolutionary relationships between organisms.

The word cladistics is derived from the ancient Greek κλάδος, klados, "branch."

Cladistics - 2

Lets Explore Plants!1. Domain: Eukaryota

2. Kingdom: Plantae

3. Divisions (2 Types) a. Green algae b. Land plants (embryophytes) (2 Types)

i. Non-vascular plants (bryophytes)

ii. Vascular plants (tracheophytes) (9 Types)

1. Seed plants (spermatophytes)

Vascular vs. Non-Vascular Vascular

Water and solutes moved through special cells called xylem

Sugar transported by special cells called phloem

Plants can be 300 feet tall and parts can be distant from water source

Vascular vs. Non-Vascular Non-vascular

Water movement by osmosis Solutes move by diffusion Plants not very large, all parts must be near

their water source

Vascular Plants Unique - they have specialized tissues for

conducting water. (Water transport: xylem or phloem: xylem carries water/organic solute upward toward the leaves from the roots & phloem carries organic solutes throughout the plant.)

Vascular plants include the ferns, clubmosses, horsetails, flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms.

Scientific names are Tracheophyta and Tracheobionta, but neither is very widely used.

Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family:  Pinaceae

(Pine family) Genus: Pinus

Subgenus: Pinus

Species: P. glabra

References: Holt – Modern Biology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladistics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Oddie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wqJzEd4DLM