Discovering Taxonomy: Classifying Life Forms

1. Monday, March 14, 2011 • Bell Ringer • Why do we classify things, such as the books in a library or the groceries in a store?. • Objectives: • Identify the two parts of a scientific name. • Explain how organisms are classified. • Describe the levels of classification in living things. • Classification Test Wednesday, March 23.. • Alabama Science Assessment is April 5.

2. Classification • The process of grouping things based on their similarities. • Putting things into groups based on how they are alike.

3. Taxonomy • Taxonomy is the scientific study of how living things are classified. • By studying taxonomy, scientists know certain characteristics of an organism based on its classification.

4. Sharks • Sharks are classified as cartilaginous fish. • What does this tell us about them?

5. Rose Bush • A rose bush is a plant. • What does that tell us about it?

6. Linnaeus • In the 1750s, Linnaeus developed a system of naming organisms that is still used today. • He put organisms into groups based on their observable features.

7. Binomial Nomenclature • Based on their characteristics, Linnaeus gave each organism a two-word name. • This naming system is known as binomial nomenclature • “Binomial” means two names

8. Genus • The first word in an organism’s name is its genus. • A genus (plural genera) is a classification grouping that contains similar, closely related organisms. • EXAMPLE: pumas, marbled cats, and house cats are all in the genus Felis. • All organisms in the genus Felis have sharp, retractable claws and they hunt other animals.

9. Species • The second word in a scientific name is the species. • The species name often describes a distinctive feature of an organism, such as where it lives or its appearance. • A species is a group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce.

10. SPECIES • EXAMPLE: • Felis concolor (puma): concolor means “the same color” • Felis marmorata (Marbled cat): marmorata means “marble” • Felis domesticus (House cat): domesticus means “of the house”

11. Using Binomial Nomenclature • A complete scientific name is written in italics. • Only the first letter of the genus is capitalized. • The species name does not begin with a capital letter. • Scientific names are written in Latin. • All scientists use the same system of classification to prevent confusion.

12. Levels of Classification • Domain – largest classification group; made up of kingdoms • Kingdom – 2nd largest classification group; made up of phlya • Phylum – made up of classes • Class – made up of orders • Order – made up of families • Family – made up of one or more genera • Genus – made of one or more species • Species – smallest classification group; made of only one kind of organism

13. How to Remember • To remember the levels of classification in order from largest level to the smallest, just remember the following sentence: • Dashing King Phillip Came Over For Great Spaghetti.

14. How will that help me remember? • The first letter of each word is the same first letter of each level of classification.

16. Exit Slips • On a piece of paper, answer the following questions. • What are the two parts of a scientific name? • What classification level includes only those organisms that can mate and produce offspring that can also mate? • What classification level has the most members? • What classification level has more members than the order, but fewer than a phylum?