Bio. 230 --- Classification,
Taxonomy, Nomenclature
Taxonomy / Systematics / Classify
What are Taxonomy* and Systematics*?
What is a Phylogenetic Survey?
What is Phylogeny*?
What is Ontogeny*?
Basic Classification Hierarchy*
- DOMAIN
- KINGDOM
- DIVISION or PHYLUM
- CLASS
- ORDER
- FAMILY
- GENUS
- SPECIES
(many levels can have sublevels: e.g. subfamily)
Basic Classification Hierarchy
- DOMAIN (Eukarya)
- KINGDOM (Animalia)
- DIVISION or PHYLUM (Chordata)
- SUBPHYLUM (Vertebrata)
- CLASS (Mammalia)
- ORDER (Primate)
- FAMILY (Hominidae)
- GENUS (Homo)
- SPECIES (Homo sapiens)
(many levels can have sublevels: e.g. subfamily)
Taxon / Taxa
What is a TAXON* (pl. taxa)?????
NO ABSOLUTE way to determine if
something should be a genus, a
family or a phylum
Still there is much agreement as to
what goes in a group such as GREEN
ALGAE or FLOWERING PLANTS or
BACTERIA
Position in the Hierarchy
There is no ABSOLUTE rank in a hierarchy!
(No ABSOLUTE way to determine
position in a hierarchy)
Despite this most authorities are in
general agreement how to organize
species into higher taxa
An example (using families)
Solanaceae
Sphecidae
How might “experts” differ in the
above examples?
The Species
The only taxon that has ‘biological
reality’
Human Beings (a species)
What is our scientific name?
Species: Homo sapiens Linnaeus
Genus: Homo
Specific Epithet: sapiens
Genus + Specific Epithet = Species
Author Citation: Linnaeus
Classify / Classification (I)
GOAL: a natural* classification
A Classification*: information storage
and retrieval system
What type of information to use?
Everything and anything
 (morphology, anatomy, distribution,
cytology, genetics, DNA homologies,
behaviors, etc.)
Classify / Classification (II)
Why do we look down on classification
activities and disciplines (taxonomy and
systematics)?
Why do classification schemes keep on
changing?
Why are taxonomy and systematics
more important than ever?
Nomenclature
Naming things
Why a system of Nomenclature*?
Why scientific names? Why not just
use common names?
Binomial System
Why latinized names?
Very specific rules --- Why is this important?
Rules (name endings, etc.) currently differ
for plants vs. animals --- Why?
Classification Hierarchy Revisited
- ALL LIVING THINGS (= Storage Building)
- DOMAIN (= a floor in the building)
- KINGDOM (= large storage room)
- DIVISION or PHYLUM (= file cabinet)
- CLASS (= drawer)
- ORDER (= large file folder)
- FAMILY (= smaller folder in
the large folder)
- GENUS (= stapled packet)
- SPECIES (= single page)
Changing (?) Classifications I
How many Kingdoms?????
Two
Three
Five
Plantae
Protista* Monera
Animalia Plantae
Protista*
Animalia Fungi
Plantae
Animalia
Six
Archaebacteria
Eubacteria
Protista*
Fungi
Plantae
Animalia
What is the difference?????
*Protista also known as Protoctista
Changing (?) Classifications II
Changing (?) Classifications III
The three DOMAIN system:
Not really that different
Archaea are in one domain
Bacteria are in the second domain
All eukaryotes are in the third domain
Kingdoms are the next subdivision
below the domain
The Protists
An ‘unnatural’ group
At the moment it is a ‘collect all’ (like
a junk drawer)
If it isn’t a plant, animal, fungus,
archaean or bacterium, then it is a
Protist
 In time, as we learn more, we will take
things out of this group and then there
may be more kingdoms, phyla, etc.