# General Classification

    See also User:Atcovi/Science/Biology Terms
    See also User:Atcovi/Science/Introduction to Science, Experimental Design, and Graphing

## Introduction to Classification

* For 3.5 billion years, life on Earth has been constantly changing. Natural Selection and other processes have led to diversity of organisms.
* Why classify organisms? So that we have an organized system to help us study about the diversity of life.
* What is classification? Grouping of organisms based upon their similarities.

## Taxonomy

* Taxonomy is the branch of science that groups and names living organisms based on their relationships inferred by shared characters.
* Aristotle was the first scientist who attempted to classify organisms. He subdivided plants into three groups: shrubs, herbs and trees. He subdivided animals into their habitat: air, water and land.
* The problem with Aristotle's system was that it wasn't accurate enough... for example: It placed organisms that all fly in the same category: Bees, birds, and bats are related to each other!

## Linneaus' System & Modern Evolutionary Classification

* The foundation of today's modern classification actually goes back to Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778).
* Linneaus classified organisms according to their physical and structural similarities.
* Linneaus used a two word naming system called Binomial Nomenclature to identify species. The first name is the genus and the second name is a descriptive word called the species.
* What is the correct way to write a scientific name? Give an example: Genus species
** (Write "Genus" (capitalize), then species--either italicized/underlined).
* What language is used for scientific names? Latin Why?
* Latin is a dead language, so the language can't be changed.
* Many organisms have share common names/nicknames, so its good for them to have different scientific names.

## Classification
### How Living Things are Classified

Organisms are ranked or grouped in groups, from very broad to very specific. These groups are known as taxas.

#### Kingdoms

* Archaebacteria
* Eubacteria
* Protista
* Fungi
* Plantae
* Animalia
Each organism is subdivided into 7 categories called taxas. List each taxa below from most amount of organisms to least amount of organisms:

#### Taxas

* Domain
* Kingdom
* Phylum
* Class
* Order
* Family
* Genus
* Species

#### What is the sentence to help you out with thee 7 taxas? Did King Phillip Come Over From German Soil?

* Most organisms? Domain
* Least organisms? Species
* Which grouping is a subdivision of the phylum? Class
* A group of similar orders is called a what? Class
* A Genus is a group of similar species.
* Kingdom Plantae may not use the term, phylum, for a group of similar classes, instead it might use the taxa term, divisions.
* Species: Group of organisms in a population that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

## The Three-Domain System/Six-Kingdom System

Based upon recent evidence, the five-kingdom system of classification has now expanded to six kingdoms. The kingdoms, archaebacteria and eubacteria, used to be one kingdom called the Monera Kingdom.
* Molecular Analyses have given rise to a new taxonomic category that is now recognized by many scientists.

### List the three domains and which kingdoms belong to each domain below

-Domain Bacteria --Kingdom Eubacteria
-Domain Archaea --Kingdom Archaebacteria
-Domain Eukarya --Kingdom Protista --Kingdom Fungi --Kingdom Plantae --Kingdom Animalia

## Diagrams and Keys used to Classify Organisms

Dichotomous Key- Series of paired statements that describe physical characteristic of different organisms.
Cladogram- Diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships among a group of organisms.