Every living thing on earth has been classified by its Genus and species. There are many valid ways to classify organism based on their many features, but the way scientist continue to classify organisms today is Linnaean Taxonomy, which was introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1735.
Taxonomy
Organisms are organized into different taxa or groups based on their evolutionary relationships.
Domain -> Kingdom -> Phylum -> Class -> Order ->Family -> Genus -> Species
Domain -> Kingdom -> Phylum -> Class -> Order ->Family -> Genus -> Species
DOMAIN
There are three Domains: Archaea (archaebacteria) and Bacteria (eubacteria) are the two domains of prokaryotic organisms. Eukarya is the domain of eukaryotic organisms. Animals are in the domain Eukarya.
Kingdom
Within the Domain Eukarya, their are four Kingdoms.
Protista
Protista are simple, predominately unicellular eukaryotic organisms. Examples includes slime molds, euglenoids, algae, and protozoans.
Fungi
Fungi are unicellular or multicellular organisms with eukaryotic cell types. The cells have cell walls but are not organized into tissues. They do not carry out photosynthesis and obtain nutrients through absorption. Examples include sac fungi, club fungi, yeasts, and molds.
Plantae
Plants are multicellular organisms composed of eukaryotic cells. The cells are organized into tissues and have cell walls. They obtain nutrients by photosynthesis and absorption. Examples include mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants.
Animalia
Animals are multicellular organisms composed of eukaryotic cells. The cells are organized into tissues and lack cell walls. They do not carry out photosynthesis and obtain nutrients primarily by ingestion. Examples include sponges, worms, insects, and vertebrates.
ALL ANIMALS ARE IN KINDOM ANIMALIA
Protista
Protista are simple, predominately unicellular eukaryotic organisms. Examples includes slime molds, euglenoids, algae, and protozoans.
Fungi
Fungi are unicellular or multicellular organisms with eukaryotic cell types. The cells have cell walls but are not organized into tissues. They do not carry out photosynthesis and obtain nutrients through absorption. Examples include sac fungi, club fungi, yeasts, and molds.
Plantae
Plants are multicellular organisms composed of eukaryotic cells. The cells are organized into tissues and have cell walls. They obtain nutrients by photosynthesis and absorption. Examples include mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants.
Animalia
Animals are multicellular organisms composed of eukaryotic cells. The cells are organized into tissues and lack cell walls. They do not carry out photosynthesis and obtain nutrients primarily by ingestion. Examples include sponges, worms, insects, and vertebrates.
ALL ANIMALS ARE IN KINDOM ANIMALIA
PHYLUM CLASS ORDER FAMILY GENUS SPECIES
Each of the words above is a group of organisms. The most specific, and therefor the one containing the least amount of organisms is a species. The scientific name of every organism is given as its Genus and Species. It is written in italics with the genus capitalized. For example, the scientific name of humans is Homo sapien.
Phylogenetic Trees are used to show common ancestors of organisms in each taxon
Binomial Nomenclature
“Two name” “naming”
Common Name - What we call an animal (Gray Wolf)
Scientific name - Latin name - Genus species (Canis lupis)
- Capitalize the genus name
- Italicize (underline when handwriting)
Practice with this Classification Quizlet
A dichotomous key is a tool that allows the user to determine the identity of items in the natural world, such as trees, wildflowers, mammals, reptiles, rocks, and fish. Keys consist of a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of a given item. "Dichotomous" means "divided into two parts". Therefore, dichotomous keys always give two choices in each step.