Year 7 Science Lesson 4 – classification of living things © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Handy tips for this lesson View the lesson in slide show mode to use the buttons: • Use the arrows in the top right corner to go to the next or previous slide. • Click the home button to go back to the first slide. • Some slides have audio. Click on the speaker button to listen. • Some slides may ask you a question. Have a go, then click the answer button. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 You will need • A pen and paper. • A digital device. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Learning intention To understand that scientists have an agreed classification system which makes it easier to communicate about living things. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Lesson 3: challenge answer All mammals can be placed into 3 smaller groups. What are the names of these groups and the features of the animals in these groups? There are 3 types of mammals, characterised by their method of reproduction. 1. Monotremes are a group of mammals that lay eggs. They are platypus and echidna. 2. Marsupials are a group of mammals that give birth to underdeveloped embryos, that climb from the birth canal into a pouch on the front of the mother's body, where they feed and continue to grow. Marsupials are animals such as kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, koalas and possums. 3. Placental mammals are a group of mammals that develop in the mother’s uterus, receiving nutrients across the placenta, such as humans, rabbits, squirrels, whales, elephants, cats, and horses. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 The Linnaean classification In the 18th century, Carl Linnaeus published a system for classifying living things, which has been developed into the modern classification system. People have always given names to things that they see, including plants and animals, but Linnaeus was the first scientist to develop a hierarchal naming structure. This structure conveyed information both about what the species was (its name) and its closest relatives. The ability of the Linnean system to convey complex relationships to scientists throughout the world is why it has been so widely adopted. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 The Linnaean classification system Living organisms are classified into groups depending on their characteristics. The classification of species allows the subdivision of living organisms into smaller and more specialised groups. Kingdoms The first division of living things in the classification system is to put them into one of 5 kingdoms. The 5 kingdoms are: • animals (all multicellular animals) • plants (all green plants) • fungi (moulds, mushrooms, yeast) • protists (Amoeba, Chlorella and Plasmodium) • prokaryotes (bacteria, blue-green algae). © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 The Linnaean classification system Linnaeus also came up with a way to name all life on Earth. The binomial system of naming species uses Latin words. Each name has 2 parts, the ‘genus’ and the ‘species’. Bi - means 2, for example a bicycle has 2 wheels. Nom means name. Therefore binomial means ‘2 name’. The binomial system is important because it allows scientists to accurately identify individual species across the world without needing to know the scientist's home language. As new species are identified they can be placed into the current classification system. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Using Linnaeus taxonomy and binomial nomenclature to classify living things Classification levels Example Kingdom Animal Phylum Vertebrate Class Mammal Order Carnivore Source: Pixabay Family Felidae Genus Felius Species catus © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Common name is cat. Scientific name is Felius catus. Using Linnaeus taxonomy and binomial nomenclature to classify living things Classification levels Cat Lion Kingdom Animal Animal Phylum Vertebrate Vertebrate Class Mammal Mammal Order Carnivore Carnivore Family Felidae Felidae Genus Felius Panthera Species catus leo © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Source: Pixabay Common name is lion. Scientific name is Panthera leo. Binomial nomenclature Classification levels • Copy the table and classify a human and a dog using Linnaeus taxonomy. • Write the binomial name, which is the species name, for a human and a dog. Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Human Dog Challenge The term taxonomy has recently been applied to professions beyond that of the field of biology, botany and zoology. Many information technology (IT) corporations and businesses use classification systems within their companies to organise their data and information and documentation in databases. Name 5 other occupations that would use taxonomy, a classification system in their work. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Review Scientists use the Linnaean system to classify organisms. They sort organisms into groups and then order them into smaller groups until they have a species name for the organism using the binomial naming system. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Key terms Key term Definition Genus The level in the scientific classification scheme that is a subdivision of a family and divides into species. Binomial nomenclature Having 2 names. The 2 word name given to an organism, consisting of the genus name and the species name. Amphibians Are animals that live in water and on land. They have smooth, moist skins and lay their eggs in water. Classification The systematic grouping of different types of organisms by their shared characteristic. Phylum The highest level in the scientific classification scheme and divides into classes. Class The level in the scientific classification scheme that is a subdivision of a phylum and divides into orders. Taxonomy The science of classifying and naming organisms. Order The level in the scientific classification scheme that is a subdivision of a class and divides into families. Kingdom A very large category in biological taxonomy. Some classifications list 5 kingdoms - animals, plants, fungi, protists and monera (bacteria). Species The last level of the scientific classification scheme, a subdivision of a genus. All members of a species can interbreed. © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Classification levels Human Dog Kingdom Animal Animal Species name for human = Homo sapiens Class Mammal Mammal Species name forbox. dog = Check answers to binomial nomenclature (slide 11) by clicking on this blue Order Primate Carnivore Canis familaris Phylum Vertebrate Vertebrate Family Hominidae Canidae Genus Homo Canis Species sapiens familiaris © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022 Copyright statement The Department for Education, South Australia, has created teaching and curriculum resources to support students during the staged return to school in 2022. The resources are available for students, parents and teachers in South Australia, where students are undertaking remote learning. The material has been produced and communicated on behalf of the State and, to the extent necessary, in reliance on section 113P and/or Part VII of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). If you believe you own or otherwise have an interest in the copyright in any aspect of these materials and object to its use, please notify education.customers@sa.gov.au © Department for Education, the Government of South Australia, Learning at home, 2022
