Classification Notes

Classification--grouping of different types of organisms based upon similarities in structure and evolutionary relationships

Carolus Linneaus--devised binomial nomenclature (2 names in Latin) Genus-Species

ex. scientific name of humans ..... Homo sapiens

Homo is the genus name .... sapiens is the species name.

Note that scientific names have the genus name starting with a capital letter and are underlined.

Taxomonic Hierarchy

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

** The species is the fundamental unit of classification.

Organisms become more closely related but their groupings smaller as you

move down the taxonomic hierarchy.

The 6 Kingdom System is based on the following criteria:

1. Presence or absence of a nuclear membrane

2. Unicellularity versus multicellularity

3. Type of nutrition

(Kingdoms of Living Things)

1. Archaebacteria

-- most primitive and often live in extreme environments

-- unicellular and no nucleus

2. Monera

--bacteria and blue green algae

--have a primitive cell structure

--have no organized nucleus or nuclear membrane

3. Protista

--predominately unicellular organisms with plant or animal-like characteristics

--examples include protozoa and all algae except the blue-green

--have a true nucleus and nuclear membrane

4. Kingdom Fungi

--examples include yeasts, molds, and mushrooms

--cells are usually organized into branched, multinucleate filaments which absorb digested food from the external environment

5. Animal Kingdom

-- consist of multi-cellular organisms which ingest their food

6. Plant Kingdom

--possess chloroplasts and cell walls--make their own food

--are multicellular

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