Classifying Organisms

Introduction

Task

Process

Resources

Introduction

Suppose you had only 10 minutes to run into a supermarket to get what you needed. Could you do it? In most supermarkets this would be an easy task. You would probably head straight to the area where the items were located. But what if you had to shop for the same items in a market where things were randomly placed throughout the store. Where would you begin? You would have to search through a lot of things before you found what you needed! You could be there for a long time!

Biologists have organized living things with similarities into groups so that the organisms are easier to study. This process is called classification.

Task, continued

• Why do scientists classify?• What are the major levels of classification?• How are organisms classified?• What is binomial nomenclature?• What are the six different kingdoms of

organisms that are generally recognized by scientists today?

Process

• Follow the directions for each section carefully.

• Answer all questions in your notebook or on a sheet of paper.

Why Do Scientists Classify?

Classification is the process of grouping things based on their similarities. Biologists use classification to organize living things into groups so that the organisms are easier to study.

The scientific study of how living things are classified is called taxonomy.

Classify Organisms Based on Physical Features

• How might you classify a sunflower, a robin, a lizard, a blue jay, and a tree? Copy the table on paper and fill in your answers.

Plants Animals

What characteristics may have been used to group these beetles?

Write answers on your paper.

1.2.3.4.5.6.

Classify Organisms Based on Physical Features

Levels of Classification

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

Organisms aregrouped by their

sharedcharacteristics.

Understanding Classification

#123

1st Street

Neighborhood

Oklahoma

Broken Arrow

Imagine a room filled with everybody from the state of Oklahoma. There may be some people from Broken Arrow.

There may be some people from your neighborhood.There may be some people that live on your street.

You will be the only one that lives in your house.

The most generalgroup you belong to is the state.

The most specific group you belong to isthe house.

The more levels you share with others, the more you have in

common.

Binomial Nomenclature

• Linnaeus devised a system of naming organisms. Linnaeus placed organisms in groups based on their observable features. Each organism has a unique, two-part scientific name containing their genus and species. This naming system is called binomial nomenclature.

• Click on each picture below to see what their scientific names are.

Senario

• Imagine you are a biologist walking through the woods. You have been walking for hours and are out of food. You come across a fruit, but you don’t know what the fruit is. You need to figure it out before eating it. How would you figure this out?

Taxonomic Keys

• Taxonomic Keys are tools used by scientist to help determining the identity of an organism.

• You take what you can observe from the organism and follow the key to determine the identity of the object

What you know about the fruit

• It grows on its own• The skin sticks to the flesh of the

fruit• It only has one seed.• The skin is smooth.

Example of Taxonomic Key

• 1. Fruits occur singly ....................................................... Go to 3• 1' Fruits occur in clusters of two or more ......................... Go to 2• 2. Fruits are round ....................................................... Grapes• 2' Fruits are elongate ................................................... Bananas• 3. Thick skin that separates easily from flesh .............Oranges• 3' Thin skin that adheres to flesh .............................. Go to 4• 4. More than one seed per fruit ............................ Apples• 4' One seed per fruit ............................................ Go to 5• 5. Skin covered with velvety hairs .................... Peaches• 5' Skin smooth, without hairs ........................... Plums

It grows on its ownThe skin sticks to the flesh of the fruitIt only has one seed.The skin is smooth.