Name: _________________________________ Date: ___________________ Block: ___________
OVERVIEW FOR CLASSIFYING ORGANISMS
Fill in the blanks:
Taxon
diversity
Classification
Domain
Classification is the systematic grouping of
organisms based on common characteristics.
kingdom
Scientists need to classify organisms because
of the amazing diversity (variety) of life.
phylum
class
Organisms can be broken into taxonomic
levels. Each level is called a taxon (group).
order
Use the words below to fill in the hierarchy of
scientific classification.
SPECIES
DOMAIN
KINGDOM
CLASS
GENUS
FAMILY
family
genus
ORDER
species
PHYLUM
Fill in the blank:
Italicized
Systematics
Aristotle
naming
Linnaeus
classifying
fixed
underlined
diversity
identifying
ladder of life
scientific
Binomial nomenclature
unchanging
history
CAPITILZED
taxonomy
species
genus
lower case
More than 2,000 years ago Aristotle developed the first widely used classification system. Aristotle’s
system was called a “ladder of life”. On the “ladder of life”, organisms were fixed and unchanging.
In the 1700’s Aristotle’s system was broadened and expanded upon by Carlos Linnaeus. Linnaeus’s
system was the first formal system of classification and created the discipline called taxonomy.
Taxonomy is concerned with identifying, naming and classifying species based on relationships.
Taxonomy is part of a larger branch of science called Systematics. Systematics is the study of
biological diversity based on evolutionary history.
Linnaeus’s created a two part naming system called Binomial nomenclature. Binomial
nomenclature gives organisms a scientific name that is recognized across the world. The first part of
the name is the genus. The genus is always CAPITILZED. The second half is the species, and is
always lower case. When typed the Genus species must be italicized, and when written it is
underlined.
Binominal Nomenclature Practice:
Write the following scientific names into the correct form:
1. Canis familiaris
2. Elephas maximus
3. Rana tigrina
4. Homo sapiens
How do you determine a species?
Species Concept
Classification
determined by:
Benefits
Limitations
Typological
Comparison of physical
characteristics
Descriptions provide
detailed records of
physical characteristics
Alleles produce wide
variation within a
species
Biological
Similar characteristics;
ability to breed and
produce fertile offspring
Still used frequently
because it applies in
most cases
Does not account for
extinct species or
different species that
interbreed
Phylogenetic
Evolutionary history
Accounts for extinct
species; considers
molecular data
Evolutionary histories
are not known for all
species
What is a Domain? (page 499
Domains are the broadest taxon (group) in the classification system. There are 3 Domains and within
the Domains there are 6 kingdoms.
Fill in the chart below:
Domain name
Domain Bacteria
Kingdoms included
eubacteria
Domain Archaea
archabacteria
Domain Eukarya
Protista, fungi, plante, Animalia
Now to the Kingdoms….
A kingdom is the next broadest classification taxa. There are 6 main kingdoms.
1. Which 2 kingdoms are prokaryotic? Eubacteria and archabaceria
2. Which kingdoms are eukaryotic? Protista, plants, animals, fungi
3. What is an autotroph? Makes their own food using photosynthesis
4. What is a heterotrouph? Obtains their food by eating other organisms
5. Name 2 organisms that are multicellular: humans, fleas
6. Name an organism that is unicellular: yeast, bacteria
Kingdom Fungi (page 576)
Fungi are some of the oldest organisms on Earth.
1. Which fungi are multicellular? Molds and mushrooms
2. Which fungi are unicellular? yeast
One of the major characteristics of fungi is the composition of their cell walls. Unlike plants, the cell
walls of fungi are composed of chitin.
3. Describe what chitin is: polysaccharide (sugar) wall
Fill in the blank:
Hyphae
roots
fruiting body
mycelium
Fungi have a unique body plan, especially
mushrooms. Fungi do not have true roots.
Instead they have structures called mycelium
(underground hyphae). The fruiting body is
above ground (and the part you eat). The
fruiting body is composed of filaments (strands)
called hyphae.
Reproduction in fungi (page 580)
Fungi can reproduce in 3 ways:
Method of
reproduction
Budding
Description/ definition
Fragmentation
Asexual reproduction
Part of parent breaks off and forms
new offspring
Spores
Asexual reproduction
Haploid cell with hard outer
covering
Picture
Asexual reproduction
New cell develops attached to
parent
Fungi nutrition: (page 578)
All fungi are decomposers (which are heterotrophs) There are 3 main ways fungi obtain their nutrition.
Nutrition type
Saprophytic fungi
Explanation
Feeds on dead organisms/ waste
Mutualistic fungi
Lives symbiotically with another organism
Parasitic fungi
Feeds off the host
4 main phyla of fungi: (page 585)
Phyla of fungi
Zygomycota
Common name
Common molds
Multi/uni cellular?
Multi
Reproduction style
Spores
Ascomycota
yeast
Uni
Budding
Basidiomycota
Club fungi
Multi
All
Deuteromycota
Imperfect fungi
multi
Don’t know
Plant Kingdom (page 604)
For plants to come onto land, they had to evolve many new traits. Below, define some of the main
adaptations of plants:
1. Cuticle: waxy covering
2. Stomata: used for gas exchange
3. Vascular tissue: specialized transport tissue
4. Vascular plants: have vascular tissue
5. Nonvascular plants: do not have vascular tissue
6. Seeds: contains nutrients for embryo
7. Spores (580): reproductive structure
8. Alternation of generations: alternates between sexual and asexual reproduction
9. Cotyledon: seed structure that holds food
10. Cone: contains gametes in gymnosperms
11. Conifer: cone bearing trees
12. Flower: reproduction structure of angiosperms
Phylum Bryophyta: (page 610)
The first plants that evolved were Phylum Bryophyta or mosses. They were nonvascular and
seedless. Mosses were only 1 cell thick!
1. Do mosses have true leaves? no
2. How does water and other nutrients pass into mosses? Osmosis/diffusion
3. What kind of an environment do mosses live in? moist/wet
4. If mosses do not have seeds, how do they reproduce? spores
5. Why are mosses so low to the ground? No vascular tissue
Draw a picture of a moss below:
Phylum Pteridophyte: (page 614)
Phylum Pteridophyte is the next major branch in plant evolution. Pteridophytes are ferns and
horsetails. Ferns are vascular seedless plants.
1. What kind of environments do ferns live in? moist/wet
2. What is a rhizome? Food storage organ
3. What are fronds? Steam with leaves
4. If ferns do not have seeds, how do they reproduce? spores
Draw a fern:
Phylum Gymnosperms: (page 617)
Phylum Gymnosperms are vascular plants that have seeds. Gymnosperms are often referred to as
conifers because of their cones.
1. What does the word gymnosperm come from? Naked seeds
2. What are the seeds of gymnosperms housed in? cones
3. Are cones male or female? either
4. What are some ways seeds can be dispersed? Falling, wind, animals
Draw a picture of a gymnosperm:
Draw a picture of a cone
Phylum Angiosperm: (page 674)
Phylum Angiosperms are flowering plants. There is a vast variety of plants that flower and bear fruit.
1. Where do seeds and fruits develop from in angiosperms? flowers
2. What is germination? When an embryo in the seed starts to grow
3. What are ways seeds can be dispersed? Wind, falling, animals
Draw an angiosperm with flower
Draw a picture of a seed and label it
Plant kingdom Cladogram
Copy the cladogram from the board and answer the following questions:
1. What name 4 traits on the cladogram: spores/non vascular, seeds, cones, flowers, vascular
2. What is the most complex phylum? angiosperms
3. Which phyla would have seeds? Angiosperms and gymnosperms
4. Which phyla have spores? Mosses and ferns
5. Which phyla have vascular tissue? Ferns, angiosperms, gymnosperms