TAXO

NOMY

TH

E S

CI E

NC

E O

F C

L AS

SI F

I CA

TI O

N

Classification: The process of putting similar things into groups.

Taxonomy: Is the science of classifying organisms.

HISTORY OF CLASSIFICATION

384-322 B.C. Aristotle (Greek Philosopher)Created first written classification scheme TWO Groups - Plants & Animals Animal group - anything that lived on land, in the water or in the air.

Plant group - based this on their different stems

1500'S - 1700'S

Many different classification systems created Many of them really complicatedNames based on common names - This created confusion

Names also based on long scientific definitions

1700'S - CAROLS LINNAEUS - SWEDISH BIOLOGIST

established a simple system for classifying and naming organisms

Based on structural similarities of organism Binomial Nomenclature - 2 name naming system - still

in use today. Created a system of groups called TAXA or TAXON Each Taxon is a category into which related

organisms are placed Approximately 2.5 million kinds of organisms

identified

MODERN DAY LEVELS OF CLASSIFICATION

  --- Domain Bacteria----Kingdom Eubacteria

Viruses----life--------------Domain Archaea----Kingdom Archaebacteria

----Kingdom Plantae -----Kingdom Animalia ---Domain Eukarya-- -----Kingdom Protista

----Kingdom Fungi 

  Man Box Elder Tree BobcatCanadian lynx

Domain Eukarya Eukarya Eukarya Eukarya

Kingdom Animalia Plantea Animalia Animalia

Phylum/Division Chordata Anthophyta Chordata Chordata

Class Mammalian Dicotyledonae Mammalia Mammalia

Order Primates Sapindales Carnivora Carnivora

Family Hominidae Aceracae Felidae Felidae

Genus Homo Acer Lynx Lynx

Species sapiens nugundo rufus canadensis

MODERN TAXONOMY

The Evidence used to classify into taxon groups

1) Embryology

2) Chromosomes / DNA

3) Biochemistry

4) Physiology

5) Evolution

6) Behavior

BINOMIAL NOMENCLATURE

Is a system of Scientific Naming using TWO NAMES FOR EVERY ORGANISM: The GENUS and the SPECIES name.

IDENTIFYING ORGANISMS BY THEIR GENUS AND SPECIES NAMES IS CALLED THE BINOMIAL SYSTEM, OR BINOMIAL NOMENCLATURE. ("TWO-NAME NAMING)

The system follows certain rules:

1. The scientific name must be in Greek or Latin language.This helps to accurate communicate information to other biologist around the world who use many different languages. This is done by assigning a unique two-word scientific name to each organism. (BINOMIAL NOMENCLATURE)

2. The first part of the name is called the Genus and the second part of the name is called the species.

3. The Genus name refers to the relatively small group of organisms to which a particular type of organism belongs.

4. The SECOND part of the name is the SPECIES.

(SPECIES means IDENTIFIER) The Species name is usually a Latin description of some important characteristic of the organism.

EXAMPLE

Ursus maritimus (maritime bear)

PHYLOGENETICS

Study of evolutionary relationships

Phylogenic tree (Family Tree)

CLADISTICS

Cladistics is a system to analyze phylogeny through shared and derived characteristics.

CLADOGRAMS

Molecular Cladograms

Chromosome Cladograms

Archeological cladograms

Data table (use this to make your own cladogram)

Characteristics

Group of organisms

Vascular tissue seeds flowers

Mosses 0 0 0

Ferns 1 0 0

Pine trees and conifers

1 1 0

Flowering Plants 1 1 1