ClassificatiClassification on of Lifeof Life

WhyWhy do we do we need to need to

classify living classify living things?things?

Biologists group living things to make it easier to communicate information while studying them to understand their needs, characteristics, and behavior.

HowHow Do We Classify Living Do We Classify Living Things?Things?• Biologists group living things

based on similarities in appearance and behavior.

• A biologist named Carolus Linnaeus started this naming system. He also chose to use Latin words (a language everyone could understand).

• Living things are constantly being investigated, and sometimes we must change the grouping system.

Linnaeus(1707-1778)

Swedish scientist who laid the foundation for modern taxonomy

We call this naming system: We call this naming system: TaxonomyTaxonomy

(from Ancient Greek: (from Ancient Greek: taxistaxis = arrangement, = arrangement, nomianomia = method… “method of arrangement”) = method… “method of arrangement”)

Every known living organism on Earth is classified and named by a set of rules. The names are called scientific names, not common names. Common names are “dog” or or “cat.” Scientists call those animals by a set of several names like Canis familiarus.

or just a dog…

Source: http://www.biology4kids.com

Taxonomic categories

Kingdom King Most generalPhylum PhilipClass Came Order OverFamily ForGenus GreenSpecies Soup Most Specific

The naming system uses categories which become more specific…

Taxonomic categories

Kingdom King Most generalPhylum PhilipClass Came Order OverFamily ForGenus GreenSpecies Soup Most Specific

Here is an example of the scientific naming system…

Please, just call

me Bubba!

Linnaeus1735[1]

Haeckel1866

Chatton1925[26][27]

Copeland1938[28][29]

Whittaker1969[7]

Finally,… (or is it?)

2 kingdoms 3 kingdoms 2 empires 4 kingdoms 5 kingdoms 6 kingdoms

(not treated)Protista (single-cell)

Prokaryota (no nucleus)

Monera Monera Bacteria

Eukaryota (nucleus)

Protoctista ProtistaProtozoa

Chromista

Vegetabilia Plantae PlantaePlantae Plantae

Fungi Fungi

Animalia Animalia Animalia Animalia Animalia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_(biology)

History of the Kingdom Classification System

General Classification of Animals

*Most of the time we can classify animals in this way.(There are exceptions.)