FSC 101

CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS AND

EVOLUTION

BY

DR OGUNKANMI L. ADEBAYO.
(Cell Biology and Genetics Department)
 Classification
• Classification is the grouping of things
together on the basis of the features they
have in common.

• The study of the classification of living

organisms including its principles, practice and
rules, is known as taxonomy.
 Taxonomy
• Based on similarities and dissimilarities among
organisms
• It is a descriptive science based on variation
and form of morphological characters
• Darwin: puts in species relatedness and
evolution in classification
 Categories
• A hierarchy is an orderly arrangement
composed of series of inclusion levels called
categories eg family, genus species etc
 Types of Classification
1. Artificial classification
Grouping of organisms for the purposes of
convenience such as grouping people
according to their morphological characters
e.g heights, where they live or their size
Which part of the plant is used for
classification?
Collect information about what
you see:
What are the characteristics of individual
plant parts?
Leaf type-simple leaf
Leaf type-pinnately compound
Leaf type
Leaf type
Leaf type
Leaf Arrangement
Leaf Arrangement
Leaf margins
Bark
spines
 Types of Classification
2 Natural classification
Attempt to group organism according to their
natural relationships.

More evidence than artificial classification

such as similarity of embryology,
morphology, physiology, anatomy, cell
structure and behaviour.
 Taxa
• Refer to a series of groups arranged in
hierarchy.
• Each group ‘taxon’ contains organisms sharing
some basic features indicating that they have
a common ancestry.
• There are seven main taxa: kingdom, phylum,
class, order, family, genus, and species.
 Taxa
• Listed in descending order of size such that
the kingdom is the largest and most inclusive
containing many organisms with the fewest
features in common, whereas the lowest or
exclusive taxon is the species.

• Each taxon can also have subgroups such as

super-, sub-, infra etc.
 Plant Classification

• There are over 1 million botanically

different plants in existence named by the
binomial system of nomenclature.

• Modified by the International Congresses

in Plant Taxonomy
 Plant Classification

• Kingdom
• Phylum/Division
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus Gardeners use these 3
• Species
 Family
• A group of plants with similar characteristics
especially flowers, fruits, and seeds, the
reproductive structures are used for distinction.
• The size of a family varies from 1 to 100+

e.g Ginkgoaceae has one

genus Ginkgo biloba
Rosaceae has 100 genera
(Malus, Spiraea, Rosa)
 Genus (plural genera)
• a group of plants which is closely
related,
• definable group of plants exhibiting
similar characteristics (flowers, fruit,
stems, leaves, or roots) and genetic
affinity
 Classification of Humans
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Sub Phylum: Vertebrata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Primates
• Family: Hominidae
• Genus: Homo
• Species: sapiens
 Reasons for Humans classification
• Kingdom: Multicellular/heterotrophic

• Phylum: Dorsal nerve/Chord/skeleton

• Sub Phylum: Notochord instead of
vertebral column
• Class: Warm blooded/hairy/young
ones such milk
 Reasons for Humans classification
• Order: Tree dweller/grasping hand
free with 5 digits
• Family: Bipedal/man-like apes

• Genus: Closely related

• Species: Sparse body hair/ highly
developed brain
Taxon
Corn Mushroom

Kingdom Plantae Fungi

Phylum Angiospermophyta Basidiomycota

Class Monocotyledoneae Basidiomycetes

Order Commelinales Agaricales

Family Poaceae Agaricaceae

Genus Zea Agaricus

Species Zea mays Agaricus campestris

 Diversity of Life
According to Margolis and Schwartz
There are 5 major Kingdoms of Living Organisms
• Kingdom
I. Monera (Prokaryote)
II. Protista
III. Plantae
IV. Animalia
V. Fungi
Diversity of life
 Kingdom: Prokaryotae
• Contain all Prokaryotic organisms eg bacteria
• Microscopic and Single celled creatures

• No bound organelles

• Found in wide range of habitats eg

– Lactobacillus (found in food decay)
– Diplococcus (Feed on other organisms)
– Rhizobium (Mutualistic)
 Kingdom:Protista
• Eukaryotic

• Possess bound organelles

• Single celled organism
eg Protozoans (Amoeba and Paramecium)
Seaweeds and Algae (Photosynthetic)
 Kingdom: Plantae
 Multicellular with cellulose cell wall eg
– Simple plants (Mosses and Ferns)
 Complex flowering plants (Angiosperm)
Photosynthesize their food and non motile
 Kingdom Animalia

• Multicellular

• Heterotrophic

• Motile and ingest food eg

– Simple creatures (Jelly Fish, worms)
– Complex creatures (Fish, Insect, Amphibian,
Reptiles, Mammals)
 Kingdom: Fungi
• Heterotrophic
• Non Motile

• Extracellular digestion

• Sometimes feed on decay materials

Kingdom Description/Example

Monera Unicellular or colony of cells

Decomposers, parasites, producers and consumers

Move in water

Examples: bacteria and cyanobacteria

Protista Unicelluler or multicellular

Move with flagella

Producers and consumers

Asexual and sexual reproduction

Examples: Algae, protozoans, planktons

Fungi Unicellular or multicellular

Decomposers, parasites

Asexual reproduction and budding

Plantae Multicellular

Mostly producers

Sexual, asexual and vegetative reproduction

Examples: angiosperms, gymnosperms, mosses and

ferns

Animalia Multicellular

Parasites and consumers

Sexual and asexual reproduction

Examples: Sponges, worms, insects, mammals, fish,

amphibians, reptiles, birds and humans

Binomial Nomenclature
 Nomenclature
• Biological nomenclature is based on
binomial system devised by Carl
Linnaeus (1707-78).

• In this system each organism has a

scientific name consisting of two
words in Latin.
 History of Plant Nomenclature
Nomenclature means naming of
organisms
• Dates back to 200 B.C. to
China and Egypt
• Greeks and Romans
classified plants into 4
groups
– herbs
– undershrubs
– shrubs
– trees
Binomial System of Nomenclature
• Before 1753 Names were composed of 3 or
more worlds eg
• Salix pumila angustifolia altera (Willow plant)
• system developed by Carl Von Linne or
Linnaeus used to methodically classify and
name the whole of the natural world
• His Book: Species Plantarum (1753)
• system still in use today
 Botanical nomenclature
• language is mainly Latin with Greek
and some other languages

• these are “dead languages” whose

words and meanings will likely
change little over time
 The names of plants

• The scientific name for a plant

consists of two words:
1. Genus or generic name e.g.
Oryza

2. Specific epithet e.g. sativa

Rice (Oryza sativa)
Carpinus caroliniana
• By using the binomial system of
nomenclature, plant names are the
same in all languages!

• Every plant has a “first and last

name” where the last name is
written first.
The genus is usually a noun, capitalized
and can serve to describe one of the
following:
• a plants appearance-Hemerocallis (day and
beauty)
• supposed medicinal qualities- Pulmonaria
(lungwort)
• resemblance to body parts-Hepatica (liver)
• honors a person by using their name –
Vigna (Vigna – former director of Piza)
 Specific epithet

• the second word in a scientific plant name,

not capitalized and usually an adjective
used to describe size, color, leaf shape,
growth habit, origin of the plant or to
commemorate a person.
The specific epithet can give us hints about
the plant:
• Cotoneaster horizontalis
• Coreopsis gigantea
• Cistus x purpureus
• Securidaca longepedunculata
• Erythrina senegalensis
• Eugenia uniflora
• Commofora africana
• Arachis hypogea
 Species
• the basis of the binomial system of
nomenclature

• a population of individuals within a

genus that are capable of interbreeding
 Writing plant names correctly
• scientific names should always be underlined
or in italics
• the genus is capitalized, the specific epithet is
not
• the name is only complete if it is followed by
the name of the person who first described or
named it
For example: Red Oak
Quercus rubra Linnaeus
or
Quercus rubra L.

Quercus rubra or Quercus rubra

Plant species can be divided
more specifically into:

• a cultivar
• variety
• hybrid
• form
 Cultivar
• “Cultivated variety” or horticultural variety
• plants within a species that have been
selected especially for a particular
characteristic and are propagated, usually
asexually to continue this trait(growth habit,
flower, fruitless)
 Cultivar names
written in plain text, capitalized and set off
by single quotes, e.g.
Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’

Viburnum opulus cv. Roseum

 Variety
• botanical or wild variety
• a group of plants intermediate between
species and form and usually associated with
inheritable differences.
• They are recognized as distinct populations
breeding true to type
 Variety names
• written in lowercase and italicized or
underlined
• e.g. Pinus contorta var. contorta Shore Pine
• Pinus contorta var. latifolia Lodgepole Pine
 Hybrid
• two closely related but distinct species
will be interbreed to form a hybrid

• are often sterile and produce no seed or

fruit
 Hybrid names
• written in lowercase and italicized or
underlined
• an “x” is placed between the genus and
hybrid epithet
Platanus occidentalis crossed with Platanus
orientalis

Plantanus x acerifolia
 Naming exercises
• What is the name of these plants
Can you name these plants?
What about this?
Ok, is this Theobroma cacao?
?????????
 Exercise
What are these crops?

• Vigna unguicalata Species

• V. unguiculata Species
• V. unguiculata subsp unguiculata subspecies
• V. unguiculata cv-gr unguiculata cultivar group
• V. unguiculata var. testilis variety
 What is evolution?
• Evolution is the development of life in geological
time.

• It happens when the genetic composition of a

population changes over successive generations.
Geological Time
 Evidence for Evolution
1. Artificial Selection –
Farmers/Breeders controlled breeding of
livestock and crops to obtain the most
preferred milk from cows or the best cobs
from corn plants.
 Evidence for Evolution
2 Paleontology - Study of Fossils.
Fossil - any preserved evidence of past life i.e.
remains of organisms preserved from geological
past.
 Evidence for Evolution
3 Comparative Anatomy - Study of the
structures from organisms of many different
species.
 Evolution of man
• All humans are in some way related and
descended with modification from a common
ancestor.

• The study of human origin is known as

paleoanthropology. Many fossils (about 20
extinct species) that are closely related to
humans than to chimpanzees have been
discovered and are known as hominins.
 Evolution of man
• The oldest of these hominins Sahelanthropus
tchadensis lived about 6-7million years ago
and shared characters like
• reduced canine teeth,
• flat face,
• uprightness and
• bipedalism with human.
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
 Evolution of man
• Structure of the leg bones of Australpithecus
anamensis, a hominin that lived 4-5 mya
suggested that early hominins were bipedal.
 Evolution of man
• Many of the hominins around 4 and 2 mya
were collectively called Australopiths.

• Australopithecus anamensis links the

australopiths to older hominins such as
Ardipithecus ramidus
Evolution of man
COMPARATIVE EMBRYOLOGY
HUMAN MIGRATION
 Theories of Evolution
1 Biblical View (Genesis Chapter 1 Verses 1-26)
In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth.

The earth was without form and full of

darkness and the spirit of God was moving on
the sea surface.
 Day 1
• God said: “Let there be Light and there was
Light”

He separated Light from the Darkness because

he saw it was good.

He called Light – Day and Darkness- Night

 Day 2
• God Said: Let there be a firmament in the
midst of the waters

He called the firmament Heaven

 Day 3
• God Said: Let the waters under the heavens
gathered into one place and let the dry land
appear.

He called the dry land –Earth and waters that

gathered – Seas

He said Let the earth put forth vegetation.

 Day 4
• Creation of Moon and Stars

• Day 5: Creation of Birds and Fish

• Day 6: Creation of Animals and Man

• Day 7: Sabbath and He rested

 What happened thereafter?
• Man placed in Garden of Eden

• The Forbidden Tree

• The Creation of Woman

• Man sent out of the Garden Eden after

disobedient caused by the serpent
 2 Quranic View
• Book of Tefsir: The power of Almighty Allah is
whatever He wanted to be , will instantly be.

• Meaning: “Inamo amuru isaradaseha anyahu

lalahu kunfayakun”

• Quran 54 v 7, Q32 v 5, Q41 v 11, Q21 v 30, etc.

 Facts about quranic creation
• God created Heaven and earth in 6 days- Q 54 v7

• First creation – Sea (water)

• Later – Land and vegetation

• Next – Gins (Malaika) on the land

• First Man – Ibrahim (Lived in Heaven –Aljaina)

 Angels view about Ibrahim’s
creation
• Angel Jubril (Satam) and co hated creation of
man
• They convinced Allah not to do so as they will
hate themselves
• 40yrs rain mold Ibrahim and He commanded
spirit like Dove to forehead-right-left chest
• Adam sneezes and said Alhamdullah
• He was able to recognize everything angels
were unable to recognize before.
 Facts about quranic creation
• All Angels now bow for Ibrahim except Zaiton

• Allah rebuked him and was relocated to hell

• Satan then vow to destroyed being except those

who obey Allah.

• Allah then gave 5 daily prayers to conquer satan

 Allah’s warning to Adams
• Do not eat or touch some trees in the garden of
Aljaina

• Allah gave him a partner from his left rib when

asleep.

• He woke up to see Hawaw (1st woman) by his side

• They both lived naked in the garden

 Satan visit to the Garden
• Satan convinced Hawaw when Ibrahim went to search
for food

• Showed her mirrow to see another woman the husband

has gone to visit not food

• Second time Satan convinced her to eat forbidden fruit

and she did.

• So also her husband did.

 Satan visit to the Garden
• Almighty Allah commanded Angels to hold
Ibrahim’s throat not to swallow the fruit.

• Held for 30days (fasting) and while struggling

to speak he spoke all languages in the world.

• Alas the woman swallowed the fruit but Allah

commanded it out through Menstral cycles
 Allah’s vow
• Ibrahim sought for forgiveness from Allah

• Almighty Allah vowed that if you follow my

injunction you go to Aljaina but if you follow
Zaiton to go to hell fire.
 3 Yoruba version of Creation
• In the beginning Sky was above, Water and
marshland were below

• Chief god olorun ruled the sky while Olokun

ruled the below

• Another god Obatala went to olorun for

permission to create dry land for other
creatures and was granted
 Yoruba version of Creation
• He consulted Orunmila (god of prophecy and eldest son of
olorun.

• Orunmila told him to get

– Long Gold chain
– Snail’s Shell filled with sand
– A white hen
– A black cat
– A palm nut

 All to be carried in a bag

 Yoruba version of Creation
• Obatala hung the chain from a corner in the sky

• Placed the bag over his shoulder and started the

downward climb

• Got to a place the chain could not get down

• He heard Orunmila telling him to pour the sand from

the snail’s shell and release the hen immediately.
 Yoruba version of Creation
• Eventually the hen landed on the sand and began
scattering it around

• Where the sand landed formed the dry land

• Bigger piles form Hills, smaller piles Valley

• Obatala jumped to the hill and named it Ile-Ife

• Which now extended everywhere
 Yoruba version of Creation
• Dug hole and planted palm nut which grew

• Obatala settled down with the Cat and live

•
• After long period, he wanted more creature like himself

• Dug hole and found clay

• Mold figures like himself.

 Yoruba version of Creation
• After long period, he got tired and took a break
• Made wine from the palm tree he planted

• Drank bowl after bowl and got drunk

• Because of the drunkenness he fashioned imperfect figures
unknowingly

• Called on olorun to breathe live into his creatures

• When he realized what he has done he swore never to drink
again and take care of deformed ones.
 Yoruba version of Creation
• Becoming Protector of the Deformed
• Others gods were happy and visited obatala except
Olokun

• Olokun was angry that Obatala had occupied her

kingdom.

• When Obatala went to visit Olokun in the sky, Olokun

summoned great waves surging across the land.
 Yoruba version of Creation
• Much of the land were under water and many
people drowned.

• When Orunmila heard of the news, he

climbed the golden chain to the earth,
commanded the flood waters to retreat and
the dry land reappear.
ITS OK FOR EXAM,