Lecture (1):

Introduction to Systematics

Presented by:
Dr. Shereen magdy
Lecturer of Microbiology
Botany and Microbiology Department
Faculty of Science-Helwan University
 Diversity in living organisms
There is a great diversity among living organisms found on the planet earth.
The earth may have anywhere from 10 to over 40 million species of organisms,
but only about 1.7 million have actually been described including over 7,50,
000 insects, about 2,50,000 flowering plants and 47,000 vertebrate animals.
Biodiversity: a diversity among living organisms. They differ in their structure,
habit, habitat, mode of nutrition, and physiology.
The living organisms also show a lot of similarities and common features so
that they can be arranged into many groups.
 What is the importance of
classifying living organisms???
• In order to understand and
study them
• Accurately & uniformly
names organisms.

• Uses same language (Latin

or some Greek) for all names
 Taxonomy

 Taxonomy in Greek means rendering of order.

 Taxonomy is the branch of biology that deals with

identification and nomenclature (naming) of living
organisms and their classification on the basis of their
similarities and differences.
Taxonomists are scientists that identify & name
organisms
 Systematics
The word Systematics means to put together.

Systematics may be defined as the systematic placing of

organisms into groups or taxa on the basis of certain
relationships between organisms.
 Early Taxonomists
•2000 years ago, Aristotle was
the first taxonomist

•Aristotle divided organisms

into plants & animals

•He subdivided them by their

habitat ---land, sea, or air
dwellers
 Early Taxonomists
• John Ray, a botanist,
was the first to use
Latin for naming

• introduced the term

species for the first
time for any kind of
living things.
 Species
Species is the basic unit of Classification.

It is
defined as the group of individuals which resemble in their
morphological and reproductive characters and interbreed
among themselves and produce fertile off springs.
Species are then grouped into more inclusive taxa, which are
grouped into larger taxa so that the classification is a hierarchy
of a system of units that increase in inclusiveness from each
level to the next higher level.
 Main Taxonomic Groups
Domain BROADEST TAXON

Kingdom
Phylum (Division – used for plants)
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species Most
Specific

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 Two Kingdom System of Classification
“Until the 18th century”

• Carolus Linnaeus Called the “Father of

Taxonomy”

1-Developed the modern system of

naming known as binomial
nomenclature
“Two-word name (Genus & species)”
 Standardized Naming
•Binomial nomenclature used
Turdus migratorius
•Genus species
•Latin or Greek
•Italicized in print
•Capitalize genus, but NOT
species
•Underline when writing

American Robin 12
 Examples of Scientific Names
Staphylococcus aureus
describes clustered arrangement of cells and golden yellow
color of colonies

Escherichia coli
Honors the discoverer, Theodor Escherich and describes its
habitat, the colon.

After the first use, scientific names may be abbreviated with

the first letter of the genus and full species epithet. (Ex: E.
coli)
2- In (1758), he divided all the living organisms into two
kingdoms.
(His book was “Systema Naturae” )
 The characteristic features of this kingdom
plantae are:

1- Have
4- have
branches, 2- 3- growing points
asymmetrical photosynthes autotrophi which have
body with is c unlimited
green leaves growth
6-Reserve 7- have a cell
5-Excretory 8-Reproduction
food material wall. lager
system and
is starch
takes place with
nervous vacuole. lack
help of air,
system are centrosome
water and
absent 9-non-mobile insects
and fixed in a
place
 The following are the shortcomings of the two
kingdom system of classification
Certain organisms share the characteristics of both plants and
animals

Fungi are a group of organisms which have features of their

own

Many primitive organisms such as bacteria did not fit into either category
and organisms like slime molds are amoeboid but form fruiting bodies
similar to fungi.

The status of virus whether they are living or non-living

 In 1886, Haeckel suggested a third kingdom,
protista, include those unicellular
microorganisms that are typically neither plants
nor animals.

 The protists include bacteria, algae, fungi and

protozoa (viruses are not cellular organisms and
therefore are not classified as protists).

Lower protists Bacteria

Higher protists algae, fungi and protozoa
• Later, after discovery of the powerful
magnification of the electron
microscope, definite observations of
internal cell structure were made
possible.
• Nuclear substance was discovered in
some cells (bacteria) not enclosed by
nuclear membrane, while in other
cells the nucleus enclosed by a
membrane (algae and fungi).
• These two cell types have designated
procaryotic and eucaryotic organisms.
Prokaryotic – simple cell structure no nucleus or
organelles
Eukaryotic – complex cell structure with nucleus
and specialized organelles

Viruses are left out this scheme of classification;

and considered subcellular

WHY??? as it consists of DNA or RNA

surrounded by a protein coat
What is the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
 The Five Kingdom System of Classification

In order to suggest a better system of classification of living organisms, R.H.

Whittaker (1969) an American Taxonomist divided all the organisms into 5
kingdoms

This classification takes into account the following important criteria:

1. Complexity of Cell structure – prokaryote to Eukaryote
2. Mode of nutrition – autotrophs and heterotrophs
“photosynthesis, absorption and ingestion”
3. Body organization -unicellular or multi-cellular
4. Phylogenetic or evolutionary relationship
 The five kingdoms

Animali
Monera Protista Fungi Plantae
a
1- Monera (bacteria, cyanobacteria archaea).
2- Protista (unicellular –eukaryotic microorganisms) including;
Microalgae which is photosynthetic and protozoa is ingestive and
other protists is absorptive.
3- Fungi (yeast and molds; mostly are absorptive).
4- Plantae (multicellular plants and higher algae).
5- Animalia (multicelluar animals).
Microbiologists may specialized in the study of
certain groups of microorganisms
i.e:
• Bacteriology (study of bacteria)
• Mycology (study of fungi)
• Virology (study of viruses)
• Phycology (study of algae)
• Protozology (study of protozoa)
 Main Taxonomic Groups
Domain BROADEST TAXON

Kingdom
Phylum (Division – used for plants)
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species Most
Specific

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 Domains
• Broadest, most inclusive taxon

• Three domains
• Archaea and Bacteria (prokarya) are unicellular
prokaryotes (no nucleus or membrane-bound
organelles)

• Eukarya are more complex and have a nucleus and

membrane-bound organelles

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 ARCHAEA
• Kingdom - ARCHAEBACTERIA
• Probably the 1st cells to evolve
 Lack peptidoglycan
 Live in extreme (HARSH )environments (extremophiles)
Include:
 Methanogens (Sewage Treatment)
 Extreme halophiles (found in Very salty water (Dead
Sea; Great Salt Lake)
 Extreme thermophiles (found in Thermal or Volcanic
Vents )
 Hot Springs or Geysers that are acid

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 BACTERIA
• Kingdom - EUBACTERIA
• Some may cause DISEASE
• Found in ALL HABITATS except harsh
ones
• Important decomposers for environment
• Commercially important in making
cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, etc.

 Peptidoglycan cell walls

Live in the intestines of animals
 Reproduction by Binary fission

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 Domain Eukarya is Divided into
Kingdoms

• Protista (protozoa, algae…)

• Fungi (mushrooms, yeasts …)
• Plantae (multicellular plants)
• Animalia (multicellular animals)

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 Protista

Protozoa Algae
Eukaryotes Eukaryotes
Cellulose cell walls
Mostly saprobes and
Photosynthetic
commensals
Produce molecular oxygen and
May be motile by means of organic compounds
pseudopod, cilia or flagella
 Fungi
Multicellular “Molds and
mushrooms”, except
yeast
• Absorptive
heterotrophs (digest
food outside their body
& then absorb it)
• Cell walls made of
chitin
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 Plantae
•Multicellular
•Autotrophic
•Absorb sunlight to make
glucose – Photosynthesis
•Cell walls made of
cellulose

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