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Chapter 18 Taxonomy- branch of biology that groups & names organisms. Earth is home to millions of different kinds of organisms. Each of these organisms share some common features with every organism
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Chapter 18Taxonomy-branch of biology that groups & names organisms • Earth is home to millions of different kinds of organisms. • Each of these organisms share some common features with every organism • To help understand and organize information about living things, scientists have created a system for classifying them into groups.
The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, developed the first method of classification • He divided everything into 2 groups: • Plants- herbs, shrubs, trees • Animals- aquatic, terrestrial, aerial However, his system did not work. Why?
How Organisms are Classified Today The 8 Taxa • Organisms are grouped into a series of categories called taxa, each one larger than the previous one. • As you move down the list, each level becomes more specific & includes fewer members than the level above it.
Binomial Nomenclature-2 part naming system • In the 1700’s, Swedish botanis Carolus Linnaeus created the binomial nomenclature naming system still used today • It gives each kind of organism a two-part name, the first part of an organism’s name identifies the genus • The second part of the name identifies the species