Taxonomy Objectives Describe binomial nomenclature Explain Linnaeus’ system of classification History of Taxonomy Taxonomy – the science of grouping organisms according to their natural relationships Organisms are placed into particular groups that are more similar to each other than they are to organisms in other groups Starts with broad groups and becomes more specific the closer you get to an individual organism Used by scientists to assign a universally accepted name to an organism Common Names Everyday names given to organisms Examples: beaver, mule deer, black bear Can differ among regions Not the best way for scientists in different areas to communicate about organisms Do not always describe organism: mule deer are not related to mules, jellyfish are not fish, etc. Linnaeus’ Classification Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778) developed the classification system still used today Developed hierarchical categories Each category is called a taxon Categories based on structural similarities Also developed binomial nomenclature (scientific names) Binomial Nomenclature Scientific name of an organism Made up of the genus and the species names of an organism Based on the Latin and Greek languages Example: Whitetail deer Genus: Odocoileus Species: virginianus Scientific name: Odocoileus virginianus The first letter of the genus is always capitalized The species usually describes where the animal lives Hierarchical Categories Linnaeus’ system consists of levels (taxons) As you go down each level, organisms become more and more similar to each other Hierarchical Categories Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species King Philip Came Over For Great Spaghetti Hierarchical Categories Kingdom Largest and most inclusive category Linnaeus only named Animalia and Plantae Phylum Made up of similar Classes Class Made up of similar Orders Order Made up of similar Families Hierarchical Categories Family Made up of similar Genera (plural of genus) Genus Made up of similar species Species Unique name for the species Hierarchical Categories Kingdom – Animalia Phylum – Chordata Class – Mammalia Order – Artiodactyla Family – Cervidae Genus – Odocoileus Species – virginianus Notes Review Describe binomial nomenclature Scientific name of an organism Made up of the genus and the species names of an organism Notes Review Explain Linnaeus’ system of classification Linnaeus’ system consists of levels (taxons) As you go down each level, organisms become more and more similar to each other
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