Distinctive
Characteristics
of a Specific Taxon
Definition of terms:
• Taxonomy
- Is the science of classifying organisms to
conduct internationally shared classification
systems with each organism placed into
more and more inclusive groupings.
• Hierarchical system
- It is an organization from a larger to smaller,
or more specific categories of an organism.
Carolus Linnaeus (18 century)
th
- Father of taxonomy
- He was the scientist who first
proposed organizing the known
species of organisms into a
hierarchical taxonomy.
- In hierarchical taxonomy, species
that are most similar to each other
were put together within a
Ernest Haekel
- Introduced the tree of with three
kingdoms: Animalia, Plantae and
Protista
- He made a groundbreaking discovery
in evolutionary biology.
- He observed that isolated population
evolve differently as a result of
mutation and natural selection.
Why do biologist use a
classification system?
- To name organisms and
group them in a logical
manner and to study the
diversity of life.
Definition of terms:
• Taxon
- refers to name of an organism in each level.
Ex. Dogs like animals are in order carnivora.
Carnivora
- it is the name of the taxon at the order level.
Canidae
- it is the taxon at the family level.
Subspecies
- Members of the same species that are capable of
mating and reproducing viable offspring.
Levels
Domain
of Classification
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
genus
Specie
s
DOMAIN
EUKARYA - This domain includes
plants, animals, protists and fungi.
BACTERIA and ARCHEA- Bacteria
and Archaea are single-celled
organisms that differ with regards
to their cellular structure.
KINGDOM
Eubacteria- Common bacteria like the good bacteria found in
yogurt and the bad bacteria that cause bacterial infections
Archaebacteria (domain Archaea) - uncommon bacteria such
as those found in environments that are devoid of oxygen or
are extremely acidic
Plantae (domain Eukarya) - all plants
Animalia (domain Eukarya) - all animals
Fungi (domain Eukarya) - spore producing organisms
(mushrooms, tree, yeast, and most mold)
Protists (domain Eukarya) - microorganisms that don’t fall into
one of the other kingdoms (algae and slime mold)
PHYLUM
Anthophyta (kingdom Plantae) - flowering plants,
including vegetables, fruit, beans, and nuts
Arthropoda (kingdom Animalia) - invertebrate animals
with an exoskeleton, segmented bodies, jointed limbs,
and a vented central nervous system
Chordata (kingdom Animalia) - animals that have a
notochord (like the umbilical cord on a baby), a dorsal
hollow nerve cord (spinal cord), pharyngeal slits, and a
functional or vestigial tail
Coniferophyta (kingdom Plantae) - plants that stay
green year-round, such as fir and juniper trees
CLASS
Amphibia - animals born with gills that later develop
lungs and spend parts of their lives in water and parts on
land; they must reproduce in water
Aves - warm blooded animals with wings; they reproduce
through internal fertilization and lay eggs
Mammalia - vertebrate animals that have specialized
teeth, strong jaws, are conceived and born via the
mother’s reproductive tract, and nurse from their
mothers
Reptilia - cold-blooded animals with dry, rough skin; all
except for snakes are tetrapods (which means they have
ORDER
Carnivora - mammals that have canine teeth
beneficial to their primarily meat-centric diet;
most are fur covered and tend to be small to
medium in size
Chiroptera - consists solely of bats, which are
the only mammals that have the ability to fly
Primates - mammals with flat nails on theirs
hands (instead of claws), relatively large brains,
ability to sit and stand upright, requires care for
an extended time after birth
FAMILY
Callitrichidae - the smallest primate
(marmosets and tamarins)
Hylobatidae - the lesser apes
(gibbons and siamangs)
Hominidae - the great apes
(chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans,
• Family
- A group of similar genera ( plural-
genus) that are put together.
- The species that are grouped within
genera, genera are grouped within
families, families are grouped within
orders until such time that specific
specie was then named.
GENUS
Each family in the taxonomy of living things can be
identified by genus. For the family Hominidae, the
genus divisions are as listed below. Please note that,
unlike the previous levels, genus and species names
should not be capitalized and should be italicized.
pan (chimpanzees)
gorilla (gorillas)
pongo (orangutans)
homo (humans)
SPECIES
Species
The final level of classification is species.
In some cases, there is only one species
per genus, while there are multiple species
for others.
The genus homo has only one species
(sapiens).
The genus gorilla has two species:
gorilla beringei (eastern gorillas) and
Ex. Taxonomic hierarchy of Domestic
Domain- Eukarya
dogs Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata
Class- Mammalia
Order- Carnivora
Family- Canidae
Genus- Canis
Specie
s- Canis
lupus
• Binomial nomenclature
- Refers to an organism that are only
by its genus and species which is a
two-word scientific name.
- Each specie has a unique binomial
nomenclature to allow for proper
identification.
Ex. Taxonomic hierarchy of Human
Domain- Eukarya
BeingKingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata
Class- Mammalia
Order- Primates
Family- Hominidae
Genus- Homo
Specie
s-
Homo
sapiens
Importance of Taxonomy in Biology
• To identify taxonomic group showing
how living things relate to one another.
• To classify a group organism with
shared characteristics
• Facilitates communication between
researchers conducting similar studies
PHYLOGENIC TREE
- Diagram that
represents evolutionary
relationships among
organisms
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YOU
