690 likes | 710 Views
Chapter 18: Classification. 18-1 Finding Order in Diversity. 18-1 Finding Order in Diversity. Natural selection and other processes have led to a staggering diversity of organisms. Biologists have identified and named about 1.5 million species so far.
E N D
18-1 Finding Order in Diversity • Natural selection and other processes have led to a staggering diversity of organisms. • Biologists have identified and named about 1.5 million species so far. • They estimate that 2–100 million additional species have yet to be discovered.
To study the diversity of life, biologists use a classification system to name organisms and group them in a logical manner.
In the discipline of taxonomy, scientists classify organisms and assign each organism a universally accepted name. • When taxonomists classify organisms, they organize them into groups that have biological significance.
Assigning Scientific Names • Common names of organisms vary, so scientists assign one name for each species. • 18th century scientists understood Latin and Greek, so they used those languages for scientific names. • This practice is still followed in naming new species.
Early Efforts at Naming Organisms • The first attempts at standard scientific names described the physical characteristics of a species in great detail. • These names were not standardized because different scientists described different characteristics.
Carolus Linneaus developed a naming system called binomial nomenclature. • In binomial nomenclature, each species is assigned a two-part scientific name. • The scientific name is italicized.
The first part of the name is the Genus name (Capitalized). • A Genus is a group of closely related species. • The second part of the name is the species name (lowercase). • The species name describes important trait or where the organism lives.
Linnaeus's System of Classification • Linnaeus not only named species, he also grouped them into categories.
Linnaeus’s seven levels of classification are • (from smallest to largest) species genus family order class phylum kingdom
Each level is called a taxon, or taxonomic category. • Species and genus are the two smallest categories. Grizzly bear Black bear
Genera that share many characteristics are grouped in a larger category, the family. Black bear Giant panda Grizzly bear FAMILY Ursidae
An order is a broad category composed of similar families. Grizzly bear Black bear Giant panda Red fox ORDER Carnivora
The next larger category, the class, is composed of similar orders. Grizzly bear Black bear Abert squirrel Giant panda Red fox CLASS Mammalia
Several different classes make up a phylum. Black bear Giant panda Abert squirrel Grizzly bear Red fox Coral snake PHYLUM Chordata
The kingdom is the largest and most inclusive of Linnaeus's taxonomic categories. Grizzly bear Black bear Giant panda Red fox Abert squirrel Coral snake Sea star KINGDOM Animalia
Grizzly bear Coral snake Sea star Black bear Giant panda Red fox Abert squirrel
Linnaeus grouped species into larger taxa mainly according to visible similarities and differences.
Evolutionary Classification • Phylogeny is the study of evolutionary relationships among organisms.
Biologists currently group organisms into categories that represent lines of evolutionary descent, or phylogeny, not just physical similarities. • Grouping organisms based on evolutionary history is called evolutionary classification.
The higher the level of the taxon, the further back in time is the common ancestor of the organisms in the taxon. • Organisms that appear very similar may not share a recent common ancestor.
Different Methods of Classification Conical Shells Crustaceans Mollusks Appendages Limpet Crab Barnacle Crab Limpet Barnacle Molted external skeleton Tiny free-swimming larva Segmentation CLADOGRAM CLASSIFICATION BASED ON VISIBLE SIMILARITY
Superficial similarities led barnacles and limpets to be grouped together. Conical Shells Appendages Crab Barnacle Limpet
However, barnacles and crabs share an evolutionary ancestor that is more recent than the ancestor that barnacles and limpets share. • Barnacles and crabs are classified as crustaceans, and limpets are mollusks.
Many biologists now use a method called cladistic analysis • Cladistic analysis considers only new characteristics that arise as lineages evolve ( called derived characters). • Characteristics that appear in recent parts of a lineage but not in its older members are called derived characters.
Derived characters can be used to construct a cladogram, a diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships among a group of organisms. • Cladograms help scientists understand how one lineage branched from another in the course of evolution.
A cladogram shows the evolutionary relationships between crabs, barnacles, and limpets. Crustaceans Mollusk Limpet Crab Barnacle Molted external skeleton Segmentation Free-swimming larva
The genes of many organisms show important similarities at the molecular level. • Similarities in DNA can be used to help determine classification and evolutionary relationships.
DNA Evidence • DNA evidence shows evolutionary relationships of species. • The more similar the DNA of two species, the more recently they shared a common ancestor, and the more closely they are related in evolutionary terms. • The more two species have diverged from each other, the less similar their DNA is.
Molecular Clocks • Comparisons of DNA are used to mark the passage of evolutionary time. • A molecular clock uses DNA comparisons to estimate the length of time that two species have been evolving independently.
Molecular Clocks A gene in an ancestral species 2 mutations 2 mutations new mutation new mutation new mutation Species B Species C Species A
A molecular clock relies on mutations to mark time. • Simple mutations in DNA structure occur often. • Neutral mutations accumulate in different species at about the same rate. • Comparing sequences in two species shows how dissimilar the genes are, and shows when they shared a common ancestor.
The Tree of Life Evolves • Systems of classification adapt to new discoveries. • Linnaeus classified organisms into two kingdoms—animals and plants. • Only known differences among living things were the fundamental traits that separated animals from plants.
There are enough differences among organisms to make 5 kingdoms: Monera Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia
Six Kingdoms • Recently, biologists recognized that Monera were composed of two distinct groups: • Eubacteria and Archaebacteria.
The six-kingdom system of classification includes: • Eubacteria • Archaebacteria • Protista • Fungi • Plantae • Animalia
Changing Number of Kingdoms Names of Kingdoms Introduced 1700’s Plantae Animalia Late 1800’s Plantae Protista Animalia 1950’s Animalia Monera Protista Plantae Fungi Archae-bacteria Animalia 1990’s Eubacteria Protista Fungi Plantae
The Three-Domain System • Molecular analyses have given rise to the three-domain system of taxonomy now recognized by many scientists. • The domain is a more inclusive category than any other—larger than a kingdom.
The three domains are: • Eukarya, which is composed of protists, fungi, plants, and animals. • Bacteria, which corresponds to the kingdom Eubacteria (true bacteria). • Archaea, which corresponds to the kingdom Archaebacteria.
Modern classification is a rapidly changing science. • As new information is gained about organisms in the domains Bacteria and Archaea, they may be subdivided into additional kingdoms.
Domain Bacteria • Domain Bacteria • Members of the domain Bacteria are unicellular prokaryotes. • Their cells have thick, rigid cell walls that surround a cell membrane. • Their cell walls contain peptidoglycan.
Domain Bacteria • The domain Bacteria corresponds to the kingdom Eubacteria.
Domain Archaea • Domain Archaea • Members of the domain Archaea are unicellular prokaryotes. • Archaea live in extreme environments. • Their cell walls lack peptidoglycan, and their cell membranes contain unusual lipids not found in any other organism.
Domain Archaea • The domain Archaea corresponds to the kingdom Archaebacteria.
Domain Eukarya • The domain Eukarya consists of organisms that have a nucleus. • Eukarya includes the kingdoms: Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia