Classification of Living Things
Why do we classify things?
Supermarket aisles
Libraries
Classes
Teams/sports
Members of a family
Roads
Cities
Money
What is classification?
Classification: putting things into orderly
groups based on similar characteristics
Taxonomy: the science of describing, naming,
and classifying organisms
Early classification
Aristotle grouped everything into
simple groups such as animals or plants
He then grouped animals according to if they
had blood or didn’t have blood, and if they had
live young or laid eggs, and so on…
Binomial Nomenclature
Developed by Carolus
Linnaeus
Swedish Biologist 1700’s
Two-name system
Genus and species
named using Latin or
Greek words
Rules used to write scientific names
Homo sapiens
An organism’s genus is always written first;
the organism’s species is always written
second
The genus is Capitalized; the species is
written in lower case
Scientific names of organisms are always
italicized or underlined
Modern Taxonomy
The Evidence used to classify into taxon
groups
1) Embryology
2) Chromosomes / DNA
3) Biochemistry
4) Physiology
5) Evolution
6) Behavior
The modern system of classification
has 8 levels:
Domain Order
Kingdom Family
Phylum Genus
Class Species
Helpful way to remember the 8
levels
Dumb kids playing catch on freeways get
squashed
Or…make up your own…
DKPCOFGS
Using the Classification System
Field guides help identify organisms.
-they highlight differences between similar
organisms (like trees)
Taxonomic Key (Dichotomous Key)
-paired statements that describe the physical
characteristics of different organisms
Taxonomic Key
1a Fruits occur singly ................................................. Go to 3
1b Fruits occur in clusters of two or more ................ Go to 2
2a Fruits are round ................................................... Grapes
2b Fruits are elongate ............................................... Bananas
3a Thick skin that separates easily from flesh .........Oranges
3b Thin skin that adheres to flesh .............................. Go to 4
4a More than one seed per fruit ............................ Apples
4b One seed per fruit ............................................ Go to 5
5a Skin covered with fuzz.................... Peaches
5b Skin smooth, without fuzz........................... Plums
What steps would you use to identify an
apple?
