Classifying Life5.2

Binomial Nomenclature

Carolus Linnaeus devised a system for grouping organisms called binomial nomenclature- two-part naming system

Genus- the first word in an organism’s name is the genus- groups similar, closely related organisms

Species- the second word in an organism’s name is the species- group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring

The scientific name is written in italics with only the first name (genus) capitalized.

Ex. Felis domesticus (house cat)

Make a Foldable of the Levels

As you move downthese levels, the num-ber of organisms decreases. The organ-isms that remain share more traits witheach other.

Taxonomic Keys are Useful

Taxonomic keys consist of a series of paired statements that describe the various physical characteristics of different organisms.

Jelly Bean LabIn groups, classify the jelly beans.Answer the following questions in your

interactive notebook:◦•What did you use to determine what flavor of

bean you had? ◦•What did you do to determine if you were

correct? ◦•What other things do we classify? ◦•Why would we want to classify things?

Buttons, buttons, buttons…

Construct a dichotomous key, using a large characteristic (e.g., four holes in button, two holes in button, or shank) to begin the process.

Then create a subgroup and continue to construct the key using the jelly bean taxonomic key as a guide.