Classification
7th Science
Ely, Hoyman, Jackson
Why Classify?
Classification: the division of organisms
into groups, or classes, based on
specific characteristics.
• Classifying helps us to understand and order the
many kinds of living things.
• Scientist group things by a system called
Taxonomy.
o Taxonomy is the science of describing, naming, and classifying
organisms
Who did it?
• In the 1700’s a Swedish scientist founded
modern taxonomy
• Carolus Linnaeus
• He created a 7 level system to classify
• He named this process: binomial
Nomenclature
• He classified things by:
o Shape
o Structure
7 Levels of Classification
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Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti
Scientific Name
• Has 2-parts
• Usually Latin or Greek
• Used to group the animals and simplify the
process of knowing where they belonged in
the classification process
• Genus (1st): Capital
• Specific (2nd): lower case
o
o
o
o
Example: Asian Elephant
Scientific Name: Elephas maximus
Genus: Elephas
Specific: maximus
Scientific Names
Water BuffaloBufo Bufo
Red WolfCanis Lupus Rufus
Bottle Nosed DolphinTursiops Truncatus
Humans…
Humans Scientific Name:
Homo sapiens
Dichotomous Key
• Dichotomous Key: an aid that is
used to identify organisms and that
consist of the answers to a series of
questions
• Important to help scientist group
new unknown species
Lets Learn How…
Read steps 1a and 1b
Decide which statement is true
1b is true
Then follow the directions after that step.
Go to step 5!
At choice 5, you make another dichotomous choice
5a is true
Go to step 6!
Keep going until you come to a step
that gives you the creature’s name.
6 a. The creature has one antennae
Go to Step 7.
1. a. Organism is living........................................................go to 4.
1. b. Organism is nonliving..................................................go to 2.
2. a. Object is metallic........................................................go to 3.
2. b. Object is nonmetallic..................................................ROCK.
3. a. Object has wheels......................................................BICYCLE.
3. b. Object does not have wheels......................................TIN CAN.
4. a. Organism is microscopic...................................PARAMECIUM.
4. b. Organism is macroscopic............................................go to 5.
5. a. Organism is a plant.....................................................go to 6.
5. b. Organism is an animal.................................................go to 8.
6. a. Plant has a woody stem..............................................go to 7.
6. b. Plant has a herbaceous stem.................................DANDELION.
7. a. Tree has needle like leaves.....................................PINE TREE.
7. b. Tree has broad leaves............................................OAK TREE.
8. a. Organism lives on land................................................go to 9.
8. b. Organism lives in water...............................................CLAM.
9. a. Organism has 4 legs or fewer......................................go to 10.
9. b. Organism has more than 4 legs...................................ANT.
10 a. Organism has fur........................................................go to 11.
10 b. Organism has feathers................................................ROBIN.
11 a. Organism has hooves.................................................DEER.
11 b. Organism has no hooves............................................MOUSE.
6 Kingdoms
1. Plant
2. Animal
3. Archaebacteria
4. Eubacteria
5. Fungus
6. Protista
Plant Kingdom
• Plants are all multicellular and consist of complex
cells.
• Has over 250,000 species
• The plant kingdom is the second largest kingdom.
• Plant species range from the tiny green mosses to
giant trees.
• Without plants, life on Earth would not exist! Plants
feed almost all the heterotrophs (organisms that eat
other organisms) on Earth.
• Plants are autotrophs, organisms that make their
own food
Animal Kingdom
• The animal kingdom is the largest kingdom with
over 1 million known species.
• All animals consist of many complex cells.
• They are heterotrophs.
• Members of the animal kingdom are found in the
most diverse environments in the world.
Archaebacteria Kingdom
• These are unicellular
• Reproduce ONLY by asexual reproduction
• Important because they make up many
decomposers
• Can live in very harsh environments
Eubacteria Kingdom
• These are unicellular
• Reproduce ONLY by asexual reproduction
• These are common and you are in contact with
them regularly
• They are the smallest organisms
• Make up the largest number of living things on earth
Fungus Kingdom
• Most of these are Multicellular
• Reproduce asexually and sexually
• Are important in the decomposing of dead
organisms
• Examples: mushrooms, yeast, lichen
• Over 100,000 species of Fungus
• Do NOT ingest nutrients to live
Protista Kingdom
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•
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Most of these are unicellular
Reproduce asexually and sexually
Includes more than 50,000 organisms
Used in toothpaste teeth whiteners
Animal like protist are called protozoans
Common example: algea