BIODIVERSITY By: Regina Hernandez Early System of Classification Taxonomy is the branch of biology that names and groups organisms according to their characteristics and evolutionary history. Organisms were first classified more than 2,000 years ago by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Taxonomy • Science of biological classification. • It is concerned with identification, classification and nomenclature of organisms. Modern System:Hierarchy Seven Levels of Organization Carolus Linnaeus (mid-1700’)s was a Swedish biologist who established a simple system for classifying and naming organisms. He developed a Hierarchy (a ranking system) for classifying organisms that is the Basis for Modern Taxonomy. For this reason, he is considered to be “father” of modern taxonomy. Why Classify? Set up an organized system so scientists can communicate Study similarities and propose relationships between organisms Show evolutionary linkages between organisms Common Names One species can have many different names • Example: Mountain lion, puma, cougar, or panther? •Vary among languages and regions Keys to Binomial Nomenclature Felis domesticus Must be in Latin Must be in italics or underlined Genus (1st word) must be capitalized Species (2nd word) must be lowercase Correct or Incorrect? Triticum Aestivum - wheat Felis domesticus - cat canis lupus - wolf Canis familiaris - dog Populus deltoides - cottonwood How do scientists classify new organisms? They study their characteristics. They try to see if they are similar to other already known organisms. They group a new organism with others that have similar characteristics. What characteristics are important? Similarities in DNA and RNA • Genes show similarities at the molecular level • More similar the DNA, the more recently they shared a common ancestor What is the concept of species? Do animals with totally different ancestors can reproduce? Hierarchy of Classification Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup DOMAINS Eukarya Plants, Animals, fungi or protists Archaea Organisms in extreme environments Bacteria Much more common than archaea Inclusive: broad or general in scope Inclusive: broad or general in scope Exclusive: limited and restricted; specific Let’s play a game! PINOY henyo Summary Why do we need to classify? What is the concept of species? Mnemonics for hierarchical order. Do you think God created us perfectly? Why? Assignment Read on protection and conservation of species.