GLENBROOK SOUTH
HONORS BIOLOGY
UNIT 8
DIVERSITY
Classifying the Diversity of Life
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Systematics– reconstructing evolutionary
history by studying biological diversity, both
past and present.
Taxonomy – the identification, naming and
classification of species
Why? To provide order, to communicate
internationally about a species; common
names are
ambiguous.
Carolus Linnaeus(1707-1778) Swedish
physician and botanist - started a two-part
name for each species
(Binomial nomenclature) *Uses Latin
Genus species
Homo sapien (wise man)
Canis lupis
The Genus is capitalized, the species is
lower case. Both are in italics.
)
• Some scientific names…
• .The system also has a
hierarchial
classification of
species into broader
and broader groups of
organisms.
• KPCOFGS
• This system also
reflects the
evolutionary history of
a species.
• But, historically,
species were grouped
by their appearance
and physical traits.