Fossils indicate that many organisms that lived long ago are extinct. The great diversity of organisms is the result of more than 3.5 billion years of evolution that has filled every available niche with life forms. Natural selection and its evolutionary consequences provide a scientific explanation for the fossil record of ancient life forms, as well as for the striking molecular similarities observed among the diverse species of living organisms The millions of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms that live on earth today are related by descent from common ancestors. Biological classifications are based on how organisms are related. Organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups based on similarities which reflect their evolutionary relationships.
Species is the most fundamental unit of classification.