Systematics: Naming, Identification, Evolution and Classification of
biological organisms
Taxonomy: The science of naming and classifying organisms
Phylogeny: Evolutionary history and relationship of species
Taxonomic hierarchy: Kingdom, Division (Phylum in other organisms)
Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
-Kingdom represents the broadest grouping based on evolutionary and
morphological (form) relationship. There are 5 Kingdoms: Plants, Animals,
Fungi, Protista (unicellular eukaryotes) and Bacteria
-Every Kingdom has many Phylum ETC
-Family names always end in the suffix aceae and are capitalized
Five Kingdoms of Life on Earth
1. Monera: Bacteria and cyanobacteria (photosynthesizing bacteria)
Prokaryotes: lacking a distinct cell nucleus and organelles
2. Protista: Unicellular and simple multicellular eukaryotes (have a cell
nucleus and organelles). Ex Algae and Seaweeds, Yeast
3. Fungi: Multicellular, eukaryotic, Heterotrophic: rely on external sources
of nutrition saprophytes: eat dead things or excretions of live things.
They are actually absorptive heterotrophs: Secrete digestive enzymes that
break down their food and THEN they absorb it.
4. Plantae: Eukaryotic land plants that are autotrophic (capable of
making their own food through photosynthesis) and nonmotile
(cannot get around on their own)
5. Animalia: Eukaryotic, Heterotrophic, and Motile
Scientific name: Latin name, Internationally accepted and used. Every
single organism has a unique species name shared by no other.
Binomial name: Includes a genus and species name.
-the genus is capitalized and can be indicated with just the first initial, and
the species is not capitalized.
Hierarchy: Every genus includes several different species
sp. : species
spp. : species plural
Species: A group of interbreeding populations reproductively isolated from
any other such group of populations.
-But, species can sometimes interbreed
-Carolus Linnaeus: Eighteenth century Botanist. Developed the Binomial
system of nomenclature (naming): Genus and species. He used sexual
characteristics to classify plants
He wrote the Species Plantarum which described almost 6000 plants and
became the basis for botanical taxonomy later in the mid 1800's when the
French established the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
Note: All plants have a common name that is used locally, in the language
of the region and holds some reference to the plants characteristics. There is
no convention for common names and they change from one region to the
next.
Plantae: Divisions
1. Division Bryophyte: Mosses and liverworts
-No vascular tissue and therefore no roots or stems
-restricted to moist environments because they absorb water directly
through the surface of the plant
2. Division Psilophyta: Whisk Ferns Psilotum
-Green branching stems with scale like appendages and round little
sporangia (structures in which spores develop)
Moa, Psilotum nudum
3. Division Lycophyta: Club Mosses, Lycopodium 'Wawae'iole' &
Selaginella
-Sporangia arranged in clusters at the ends of stems
-Stems are covered with small overlapping scale like leaves
4. Division Spenophyta: Horse tails Equisetum
5. Division Pterophyta: Ferns Cybotium, Hapu'u, ETC
-Largest group of nonseeding plants
-Divided leaves are called Fronds
6.
7.
8.
9.
-Spores are carried on the underside of the Fronds
-Fronds arise from underground stems called Rhizomes
-Fiddle heads are young fronds as they uncurl
-Abundant during past ages and contributed significantly to our coal
deposits
Division Coniferophyta: Gymnosperms: Seeds naked at maturity and
born in cones
-includes Pine Spruce, Redwoods, Larches, Fir
-largest and oldest trees in the world
-No native Gymnosperms in Hawaii probably because the seeds are not
salt tolerant and are not carried my birds and are too big to blow here
-supply lumber, paper pulp, turpentine, rosin
Note: Pine nuts are the seeds of the Pinyon pine
Note: Juniper berries are used to make Gin
Cycadophyta: Cycads variable sized shrubs that bear seeds in cones but
have a palm like appearance. EX Sago Palm.
-not native to Hawaii
Ginkgophyta: Only one surviving species; Gingko biloba
-fan shaped leaves
-was propagated in a Chinese monastery and is only rarely found in the
wild
-tolerant to air pollution
Gnetophyta: small group of gymnosperms
-Ephedra spp is a dessert shrub that produces ephedrine (antihistimine)
Angiosperms: Flowering plants Most wide spread and diverse plants on
earth. Over 250,000 known species
NOTE: Fungi are not plants. They are classified as either Protista or Fungi
depending on complexity.