classification of species

• binomial naming system

  • GENUS species
  • both in italics
  • genus capitalised
• if two binomial names have the same genus that means they are closely related
• the advantages of using the binomial naming system is that it is universal and shows relationships
• why do species look similiar

  • they may live in similiar environments
  • they may have similiar selectional pressures
  • similiar alleles may have the selective advantage
  • they may produce similiar proteins which produce similiar characteristics
• Linnaeus classification system

  1. domain
  2. kingdom
  3. phylum
  4. class
  5. order
  6. family
  7. genus
  8. species
• each group in the classification system Is called a taxa
• what's the definition of a hierarchy?

  when smaller groups are arranged within larger groups and there's no overlap between the groups
• there are 3 different domains

  1. eukaryote
  2. prokaryote
  3. archaea
• uses of the classification system

  • helps track change
  • universal
• the original way to classify species were based on visible similarities so their appearance, behaviour and fossils
• modern ways to classify organisms:

  1. DNA sequence
  2. MRNA sequence
  3. amino acid sequence
  4. immunological (self antibody shape)
• phylogenic trees show who and how closely related species are and their common ancestors
• species are when organisms are able to breed and produce fertile offspring