Transcript Classifying Organisms - Ms. Helm's Science Classes!

Classifying Organisms
Ch. 2.2 Notes
Objectives (things you need to be able
to do on your test)
• Explain why biologists organize living things
into groups.
• Explain what the levels of classification
indicate about the relationship between
organisms.
• Describe what characteristics are used to
classify organisms into domains and
kingdoms.
Why do Scientists Classify?
• Just as shopping can be a problem in a
disorganized store, finding information about a
specific organism can also be a problem.
• We have identified more than 1 million kinds of
organisms on Earth so far.
• It is easier to find
information about these
organisms, if we categorize
them into groups.
• Organizing living things into groups is exactly
what biologists have done.
• Biologists group organisms based on
similarities, just as grocers group milk with
dairy products and tomatoes with produce.
• Classification is the process of grouping
things based on their similarities.
• Biologists use classification to organize living
things into groups so that the organisms are
easier to study.
• Taxonomy is the scientific study of how living
things are classified.
• Taxonomy is useful because once an organism
is classified, a scientist knows a lot about that
organism.
Example:
• If you know that a crow is a
bird:
– Then you know it has:
• Wings
• Feathers
• Beak
Question 1
• What is the scientific study of how living
things are classified called?
The Naming System of Linnaeus
• Taxonomy also involves
naming organisms.
• In the 1750s, the Swedish
naturalist Carolus Linnaeus
devised a system of
naming organisms that is
still used today.
• Linnaeus placed organisms in groups based on
their observable features.
• He gave each organism a unique, two-part
scientific name.
• He called this: binomial nomenclature
• Binomial Nomenclature means “two names
naming system”
Genus and Species
• The first word in an organism’s scientific name
is its genus.
• A genus is a classification grouping that
contains similar, closely related organisms.
• Example: pumas, marbled cats, and house cats
are all cats. They also share the same genus:
Felis.
• You have to read the second part of the name
to see which species you are talking about.
• The second word in a scientific name often
describes a distinctive feature of an organism.
– Usually where it lives or its appearance.
• A species is a group of similar organisms that
can mate with each other AND produce
offspring that can also mate and reproduce.
Question 2
• What kind of name did Linnaeus give each
organism?
Using Binomial Nomenclature
• Open your book to page 45!
• Notice at the top right corner of your page.
• You can see that the scientific name is written in
italics.
• Only the first letter of the first word is capitalized.
• Notice also that scientific names contain Latin
words.
• Linnaeus used Latin because it was the language
that scientists used during that time.
• Binomial nomenclature makes it easy for
scientists to communicate because everyone
uses the same name for the same organism.
• Using different names can get confusing.
• Example: The animal in figure 9 (pg. 45) is
known as a woodchuck, groundhog, or
whistlepig.
• Fortunately, he has only one scientific name:
– Marmota monax
Levels of Classification
• The classification system that scientists use
today is based on the contributions of
Linnaeus.
• But today’s classification system uses a series
of many levels to classify organisms.
The Major Levels of Classification
• The more classification levels that two
organisms share, the more characteristics they
have in common.
• There are 8 levels of classification. From
biggest category to smallest is:
• Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order,
Family, Genus species.
Classifying an Owl
• Foldable
• See page 46.
• Take 5 sheets of paper. Line them up so that
there is ½ inch between each sheet of paper
at the bottom: Then fold down.
1
2
3
4
5
1
Classifying an Owl Foldable
• On the 1st (top page) Title Page: Classification of an
Owl.
• Page 2: Domain
• Page 3: Kingdom, etc.
• In each category, draw an example of EACH organism
from page 46.
• Each organism should look the same from one page to
the next. Color them the same color (the owls should
all be different colors to keep them separate from each
other).
• Last Page: Magic Number viewable when folded. Your
name and date on the upper page.