Diversity of Life:

Introduction to
Biological
Classification

By Deanne Erdmann, MS

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Why Do We Classify Organisms?
 Biologists group organisms to represent
similarities and proposed relationships.
 Classification systems change with
expanding knowledge about new and
well-known organisms.
Tacitus bellus

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Classification
 Binomial Nomenclature
 Two part name (Genus, species)
 Hierarchical Classification
 Seven Taxonomic Catagroies
 Systematics
 Study of the evolution of biological diversity
Leucaena leucocephala
Lead tree

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Binomial Nomenclature
 Carolus von Linnaeus
 Two-word naming system
 Genus
 Noun, Capitalized,
Underlined or Italicized
 Species
 Descriptive, Lower Case, Carolus von Linnaeus
Underlined or Italicized (1707-1778)

Swedish scientist who laid

the foundation for modern
taxonomy

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Hierarchical Classification
 Taxonomic categories
 Kingdom King
 Phylum Philip
 Class Came
 Order Over
 Family For
 Genus Green
 Species Soup

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Kingdoms and Domains

The three-domain system

Bacteria Archaea Eukarya

The six-kingdom system

Bacteria Archaea Protista Plantae Fungi Animalia

The traditional five-kingdom system

Monera Protista Plantae Fungi Animalia

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Systematics:
Evolutionary Classification of Organisms
 Systematics is the study of the evolution of biological
diversity, and combines data from the following areas.
 Fossil record
 Comparative homologies
 Cladistics
 Comparative sequencing of DNA/RNA among
organisms
 Molecular clocks

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 Taxonomic Diagrams

Mammals Turtles Lizards and Crocodiles Birds Mammals Turtles Lizards and Crocodiles Birds
Snakes Snakes

Phylogenetic Cladogram
Tree

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Dichotomous Keys Identify Organisms
 Dichotomous keys versus evolutionary classification
 Dichotomous keys contain pairs of contrasting
descriptions.
 After each description, the key directs the user to
another pair of descriptions or identifies the organism.

Example:
1. a) Is the leaf simple? Go to 2
b) Is the leaf compound? Go to 3
2. a) Are margins of the leaf jagged? Go to 4
b) Are margins of the leaf smooth? Go to 5

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Thank You
 This concludes a brief review of biological
classification.
 You may find additional information on this section of
in the expanded content talks and in the notes below
each slide in the slide library.

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