Biological

Classification

BioEd Online
Why Do We Classify Organisms?

 Biologists group organisms to organize

and communicate information about
their diversity, similarities and proposed
relationships. Tacitus bellus

 Classification systems change with

expanding knowledge about new and
well-known organisms.
 Approximately 1.75 million species have
been classified so far.
History of Classification

 Aristotle (2000 + y.a.) classified organisms as either

plants (by size) or animals (red-blooded or not).
History of Classification
In the 1700s and 1800s:
 Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, used similarities and differences in
morphology and behavior to classify birds.
 Linnaeus developed the first taxonomy system and made it possible to include
evolutionary principles in classification in the 1800s.
 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Charles Darwin, and Ernest Haeckel introduced
classification systems based on evolutionary relationships to organize biological
diversity.
Scientific Names
 Carolus von Linnaeus devised the currently used
binomial nomenclature.
 Two-word naming system:
 Genus
 Noun, Capitalized,
Underlined or Italicized
 Species
 Descriptive, Lower Case,
Underlined or Italicized Carolus von Linnaeus
(1707-1778)
Ex.:
Genus: Homo or Homo Swedish scientist who laid
foundation for modern
Species: sapiens or sapiens taxonomy
Complete scientific name of species:
Homo sapiens or Homo sapiens
Abbreviated form: H. sapiens or H. sapiens
Hierarchical Classification into Taxa
 Taxonomists classify organisms by dividing them into smaller groups
based on more specific criteria. A named groups of organisms is a
taxon.
 Taxonomic categories (taxa):
 Kingdom King
 Phylum Philip
 Class Came
 Order Over
 Family For
 Genus Green
 Species Spaghetti
 Beginning with species, each category becomes progressively more
comprehensive. Ex.: while the leopard, tiger and domestic cat all
belong to different genera, they are grouped together in the same
family.
Modern Classification - Species Concepts
Modern Classification Systems /
Disciplines of Biology

 Systematics is the branch of biology

concerned with the study of biological
diversity.
 Taxonomy is the part of systematics
concerned with identifying, naming, and
classifying species based on Populus tremuloides
Quaking Aspen
morphological and behavioral similarities
and differences.
 Binomial Nomenclature is used to name
species using two words, genus and
species.
Systematics
Evolutionary Classification of Biodiversity

Systematics is the study of the evolution of biological

diversity, and combines data from the following areas:
 Fossil record
 Comparative homologies, morphological characters
(traits) derived from common ancestry
 Cladistics, the study of evolutionary relationships
between species based on shared characters
(inherited traits)
 Biochemical characters, such as comparative
sequencing of DNA/RNA among organisms
 Molecular clocks
Comparing Morphological Characters
A Molecular Clock
The rate at which mutations
occur varies depending on:

•Type of mutation
•Location of mutation in the
genome
•Type of protein affected
•Population in which the
mutation occurs

This inconsistency makes

molecular clocks difficult to read.

Molecular clocks are often used

along with the fossil record and
help determine when a species
evolved.
 Taxonomic Diagrams based on Phylogeny

Mammals Turtles Lizards and Crocodiles Birds Mammals Turtles Lizards and Crocodiles Birds
Snakes Snakes

Phylogenetic Tree: Cladogram:

a form of a branched diagram that
cladogram; nodes shows the proposed
represent common phylogeny (evolutionary
ancestors history) of a species; nodes
represent common ancestors
Lily Cladogram

The closer two groups

are, the larger the
number of characters
they share.
Dichotomous Keys Identify Organisms

 Dichotomous keys are tools used to identify

organisms; field guides contain dichotomous keys.
 Dichotomous keys contain pairs of contrasting
descriptions - choices between two options.
 After each description, the key directs the user to
another pair of descriptions or identifies the organism.

Example (identifying a plant using its leaf):

1. a) Is the leaf simple? Go to 2
b) Is the leaf compound? Go to 3
2. a) Are margins of the leaf jagged? Go to 4
b) Are margins of the leaf smooth? Go to 5
Kingdoms and Domains

The three-domain system

Bacteria Archaea Eukarya

The six-kingdom system

Bacteria Archaea Protista Plantae Fungi Animalia

The traditional (now outdated) five-kingdom system

Monera Protista Plantae Fungi Animalia
Classification – “All in the Family” at pbs.org