What are the Characteristics of life?
(What ALL living things have in common)
 Breathe…exchange gases
 Made of cells
 Reproduce…multiply…breed
 Edible by another living thing
 Can die…have a finite life span
 Grow & change during a life time
 Obtain & use food & H
2
O (energy)
 Excrete wastes
 Made of DNA (nucleic acid), lipids (fats), carbohydrates (sugars), proteins, H
2
O
 Respond to the environment…natural instincts
 Homeostasis=maintain internal balance
 Heal wounds that are not fatal
**Life is all the same, but different…similar, yet diverse…is a basic principle of biology.

 Living things are classified into groups based on similarities to make them easier to study
 First three criteria used to classify an organism:
1) # of cells: unicellular=one cell only OR multicellular= more than one cell
2) Cell type: prokaryote=NO nucleus so DNA floats freely…only unicellular & very simple organisms OR eukaryote= DNA is inside a nucleus…both uni & multicellular…simple to very complex organisms
3) How get food:
Organisms that HUNT for food= heterotroph
…animals!
Organisms that MAKE own food= autotroph
…plants!
 Taxonomy= study of the classification of organism…taxonomist=someone who does taxonomy

What are the levels of the modern classification system?
1) DOMAIN= 3 based on cell type
 Bacteria-prokaryotic
 Archaea (ancient bacteria)-prokaryotic
 Eukarya- eukaryotic cells
2) KINGDOM= 4 in the eukaryotic domain
 Protists (Protista)…unicellular, eukaryotic, no cell wall, auto or heterotroph…sea weed (brown algae)/kelp, amoeba, paramecium
 Plant (Plantae)…multicellular, eukaryotic, cell wall , autotroph
 Fungi…multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotroph, cell wall…mushrooms, mold, yeast
 Animal (Animalia)…multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotroph, no cell wall
3) PHYLUM (phyla=1+)
 2 plant kingdom phyla…vascular & non vascular
 9 animal kingdom phyla…vertebrate + 8 invertebrate
4) CLASS
 3 vascular plant classes…angiosperm, gymnosperm & fern

 5 vertebrate animal classes…reptile, birds, mammals, amphibians, fish
5) ORDER:+++orders in e@ class
6) FAMILY: +++families in e@ order
7) GENUS: ++ genera in e@ family
8) SPECIES: ++species in e@ genera
=1 type of specific organism...can mate & produce fertile offspring (babies can have babies!)…can be a lot of variety among the species, EX: dog breeds & humans
*the more levels of classification 2 organisms share, the more closely related they are. **
What did I learn from the video, “Animal Classification?”
 3.5 million+ identified organisms

 Aristotle created 1 st classify system
 Latin language Nevers changes, that is why classification is in Latin
 Linnaeus created modern classification system in 1750’s
 Linnaeus changed his name to Latin b/c he loved it so much…(karl von linne)
 Classification is used everyday
 Binomial nomenclature = a two word name for an organism (genus & species)
 Classification is not a perfect science b/c constantly changing
 Horses & donkeys can mate to create a mule, a hybrid animal
 Mules can’t have babies so it is NOT a species
 Cryptozoologist=scientist who searches for new species of organisms
 Kids pick candy over fancy green salads=pneumonic device to remember the order of the levels
What is binomial nomenclature?

 Binomial nomenclature= naming system of classification; two word name for an organism
 First word names the genus level of the organism
 Second word is the specific epithet which tells a characteristic of the organism
 BOTH words name a single species
 first word is capitalized, second word is not!...written in italics!
 AKA scientific name
 In Latin b/c this language never changes…dead language
(diagram)
What are hybrid organisms?

 Hybrid organism= offspring of two closely related, but different species
 Most can NOT reproduce…are infertile
 NOT a new species b/c it is infertile
 Parent organisms must share up to the genus level to make this possible
 Mule (donkey X horse), tigon (tiger x lion), liger (lion x tiger), geep (goat x sheep), grolar bear (grizzly x polar), cama (camel X llama)
 Humans create them (forced breeding) BUT some do happen naturally like the grolar bear
How do I “fix” my test for a passing grade?

 D or F grade can be changed to a C grade
 MC format: write the correct answer as a statement adding, “NOT (the incorrect choice you made)
EX: #9
The unique two word name for an organism is binomial nomenclature AKA scientific name,
NOT binomial nomenclature AKA nom de plume.
 T/F format: write “It is false that (statement).
(Correct the statement, with elaboration, to make it true) OR “It is true that (statement for the test).
EX: #12
It is false that the characteristic usually missing in hybrid organisms is the ability to exchange gases. The characteristic missing in hybrids is the ability to reproduce. A hybrid is created by crossing two closely related, but different species.