Classifications and Taxonomy

• Carolus Linnaeus


  • Most famous for creating the system called binomial nomenclature
• Binomial nomenclature


  The system of giving every organism two names, with the first word being the genus category and the second word being the species name
• Examples of binomial nomenclature

  • Humans: Homo sapiens
  • Homo erectus: Homo erectus
• Genus category


  • Broader word in binomial nomenclature
• Species name


  • More specific word in binomial nomenclature
• Formatting of binomial names

  • Cow: Bos taurus
  • Gray wolf: Canis lupus
• Puma, Cougar, Mountain Lion

  These are different common names for the same species: Puma concolor
• Puma concolor is the same species known as mountain lions, cougars, and pumas
• Binomial names


  Consist of the genus name and the species name to remove confusion in classification
• Sharks and dolphins were once thought to be closely related due to similar physical features, but they are actually different categories (fish and mammals)
• Mushrooms were once thought to be closely related to plants due to growing out of the ground, but they are different
• DNA analysis helps determine the relatedness of organisms based on genetic differences
• Taxonomy is the science of classifying life according to shared characteristics
• Levels of taxonomy

  • Domain
  • Kingdom
  • Phylum
  • Class
  • Order
  • Family
  • Genus
  • Species
• Taxonomy levels help show relationships between organisms based on shared characteristics
• Organisms in the domain Eukarya have cells with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
• Domain Eukarya


  • Organisms whose cells have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
• Kingdom Animalia


  • Animals
• Phylum Chordata


  • Animals with backbones
• Class Mammalia


  • Mammals
• Order Carnivora


  • Meat-eating mammals
• Family Felidae


  • Feline family
• Genus Panthera


  • Genus including lion and leopard
• Species Panthera pardus


  • Leopard
• The lion and the leopard are in the family called Felidae


  They are in the same family
• A rabbit is in the family called Lepore


  It is in a different family than the lion and the leopard
• The lion and the leopard are in the genus called Panthera


  They are in the same genus
• The full species name of the leopard is Panthera pardus


  Full species name of the leopard
• The full species name of a lion is Panthera leo


  Full species name of the lion
• The full species of the rabbit would be the genus word and the species word together

  Full species name of the rabbit
• The lion and the leopard have seven out of those eight levels in common


  They are closely related
• The rabbit and the leopard have four out of the eight levels in common


  They are less closely related
• Classification levels can be used to see relationships


  Classification levels show relationships
• Domains

  • Domain Bacteria
  • Domain Archaea
  • Domain Eukarya
• Domain Bacteria are prokaryotic cells lacking a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles
• Domain Bacteria have a chemical in their cell wall called peptidoglycan
• Domain Archaea are prokaryotic cells lacking peptidoglycan in their cell wall
• Domain Archaea can survive in incredibly harsh locations
• Domain Eukarya are eukaryotic organisms with cells possessing a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
• Kingdoms within Domain Bacteria

  • Kingdom Eubacteria