Unit 3
Animal Classification, Phylogeny, and Organization
Animal Classification, Phylogeny, and Organization
(12 Days)
Enduring Understanding: Biologists use a classification system to name animals and discern evolutionary relationships among them.
Essential Questions
How are organisms classified?
State Benchmark from Course Description
SC.912.L.15.5
Explain the reasons for changes in how organisms are classified.
 Students will understand that Systematics/Taxonomy is the
study of the kinds and diversity of organisms and of the
evolutionary relationships among them.
 Students will know the Taxonomic Hierarchy from broad to
specific as: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family,
Genus and Species.
 Students will recall that Nomenclature is the assignment of a
distinct name to each species and note that the Genus of an
animal starts with an uppercase letter and the species starts
with a lowercase letter, and the entire scientific name is
written in italics.
 Students will note that The International Code of Zoological
Nomenclature (ICZN or ICZN Code) is a widely accepted
convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming
of organisms treated as animals.
 Students will understand that the modern classification
systems are based on similarities in DNA
 Students will understand that similarities in DNA are used to
identify evolutionary relationships.
Honors Extension:
 Students will recognize the work of Karl von Linné in
designing the modern classification system.
Honors Extension(s)

Bulleted Student Learning
Goals (written from the
perspective of the student)
Enduring Understanding: There are three major evolutionary lineages: Eubacteria, Archea and Eukarya. Zoologists use various patterns of
organization to group organisms belonging to each of these lineages.
Essential Questions
State Benchmark from Course Description
Honors Extension(s)
SC.912.L.15.6
Discuss distinguishing characteristics of the domains and kingdoms of
 Bulleted Student Learning
living organisms.
Goals (written from the
 Students will know the three major evolutionary lineages as
perspective of the student)
What are the main domains and
Eubacteria (bacteria), Archea (microbes) and Eukarya
kingdoms?
(compartmentalized cells).
 Students will know that within Eukarya there are six lineages of
protists and three kingdoms (Animalia, Fungi, and Plantae).
 Students will know the difference between Monophyletic,
Polyphyletic and Paraphyletic groups in describing evolutionary
relationships and ancestry.
 Students will compare evolutionary systematics to phylogenetic
systematics (cladistics) and understand that evolutionary
systematics uses homologies and varying rates of evolution
wheras cladistics uses shared, derived characteristics, to establish
evolutionary relationships.
 Students will define Character as anything that has a genetic basis
and can be measured.
 Students will recall the difference between analogies and
homologies (See evolution unit).
 Students will understand that evolutionary-tree diagrams are used
to portray evolutionary relationships.
 Students will be able to interpret Cladograms and recognize the
following features on a simple cladogram: symplesiomorphies,
outgroup, derived characters, synapomorphies, clade.
 Students will be able to distinguish between Asymmetry, Bilateral
Symmetry, and Radial Symmetry and know that Sponges display
What are the various patterns of
asymmetry, Humans display bilateral symmetry, and Sea
organization?
anemones display radial symmetry (As specific examples).

Students will understand that radial symmetry allows for
interaction with the environment in all directions and is good for
sedentary (sessile) lifestyle.
 Students will understand that bilateral symmetry allows for
directional movement and is usually accompanied by the
formation of a head with sensory and feeding structures, or
cephalization.
 Students will understand that asymmetry allows for rolling and
floating.
 Students will be able to recognize the following directional terms
in locating body parts: Aboral, Oral, Anterior, Posterior, Caudal,
Cephalic, Distal, Proximal, Dorsal, Ventral, Inferior, Superior,
Lateral, and Medial.
 Students will understand that cells are organized into tissues to
perform common functions (muscle, nerve, etc.) Diploblastic and
Triploblastic organization are two forms of cellular organization.
(Do not go into detail).
 Students will understand that the benefits of having a larger body
size include buffers against environmental fluctuations, uses
metabolic energy more efficiently.
 Students will understand that one of the costs of having a larger
body size include more volume making it difficult for cells located
deep within the body to respire or get nutrition.
 Students will recognize that some organisms increase their surface
area by folding or flattening the body so more cells are closer to
the surface (flatworms), or by develop internal transport systems
(annelids, chordates) in order to deal with the disadvantages of
being bigger.
Honors Extension
 Students will analyze the unicellular level of organization:
Diploblastic Organization - Body parts organized into two
embryonic layers, ectoderm and endoderm. Mitotic divisions
called cleavage divides the zygote into a cluster of cells called

What is the difference between
Diploblastic and Triploblastic
Organization?



the blastula. The ectoderm cell cells are arranged around a
central fluid filled cavity called a blastocoel, while the
endoderm is formed by the invagation of one side of the
blastula.
Triploblastic Organization - Tissues are derived from 3 germ
layers: ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm.
Students will know that the ectoderm forms the outer layer of
the body, the endoderm lines the gut cavity; formed by the
invagation of one side of the blastula.
Students will define the following terms in describing
triploblastic organization:
Mesoderm - A 3rd germ layer; produced from the endoderm
and comes to lie between the ecto- and endoderm.
Acoelomate - The mesoderm completely fills the blastocoel,
has only one body cavity - the gut.
Pseudocoelom - When the mesoderm lines ONLY the outer
edge of the blastocoel, leaving two body cavities.
Eucoelom - True coelom; If the mesoderm lines both the outer
and inner edge of the blastocoel.
Coelom - A fluid filled space in which internal organs can be
suspended and seperated from the body wall.
Students will understand that having a coelom provides space
for organs; provides more surface for diffusion and therefore
facilitates increase in body size; provides storage area; acts as
a hydrostatic skeleton - flexible support allowing change of
shape and movement.
Students will know the difference between Protosomes and
Deuterosomes and highlight that in protosomes the
blastopore forms the mouth (occurs in acoelomates,
pseudocelomates, and schizocoelomates) while in
deutersomes the second opening of the gut forms the mouth
while the blastopore forms the anus (occurs in enterocoelous
animals).