Classification notes I

Living vs non-living

To be considered alive an organism must have the following characteristics

  1. Must have the chemicals of life
  2. These are organic chemicals containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen as well as others (nitrogen, sulfer)
  3. These make up cells and organelles and help the organism to carry out life functions
  4. Must use energy
  5. There are two classifications of organisms based on how they use energy.
  6. Autotroph – these organisms produce their own food. Plants, algae and some bacteria can take energy, combine it with water and carbon dioxide and make sugar.
  7. Heterotroph- these organisms must take in energy produced by other organisms, they cannot produce their own. Humans, animals, basically everything that is not plants, algae or bacteria.
  8. Must respond to their surroundings
  9. Animals have sensory organs, eyes, ears, nerves to help them sense and respond to their environment.
  10. Plants have TROPISMS or chemical responses to their environment.
  11. Phototropism – move to face light
  12. Thigmotropism – respond to touch – grow around a branch
  13. Gravitropism – roots sense gravity and grow towards it or down
  14. Show growth and development
  15. Two types of growth
  16. Determinate – grow to a genetic limit – people, animals
  17. Indeterminate – keep growing as long as they are living – plants
  18. Reproduction
  19. Two types of reproduction
  20. Sexual – the offsprings DNA is different than its parents. Egg and sperm combine to produce a new unique individual. Each parent contributes 50% of the new organisms DNA. Humans, most animals.
  21. Asexual – budding, or binary fission. The organism has exactly the same DNA as parents it is a clone. Part of a plant breaking off and growing roots. Bacteria dividing into two.

Classification Notes

Classification- is the grouping of organisms based on their similarities.

  • Carolus Linnaeus-

Carl Linnea he was a 18th century (1700’s) naturalist who created binomial nomenclature.

  • Binomial nomenclature –

Is a 2 word naming system used by scientists to name organisms. It is the genus and species name of the organism and is written:

Genus species

for example - a human is Homo sapien if typed it can be italicized Homo sapien

Classification Hierarchy – Organisms are divided into groups based on their similarities

The hierarchy has several levels – you should know the specific names in the hierarchy.

Domain- contains 3 kingdomsreally big group

Kingdom- contains many phylasmaller

Phylum- contains many classessmaller

Class- contains many orderssmaller

Order- contains many familiessmaller

Family- contains many genus’ssmaller

Genus – contains several speciessmaller

Species- contains only 1 specific animal smallest grouping

Domains are the largest groups and contain the most different kinds of organisms as you go down the hierarchy the groups get smaller- at species you have only one specific kind of animal

FOLDABLE

DOMAIN FLAP (TOP FLAP)

Domain – The largest division organisms fall into 3 categories

Bacteria-

  • Usually single celled organisms that do not have a membrane bound nucleus
  • Includes kingdom Monera – many microorganisms

Archaea-

  • Usually single celled organisms that do not have a membrane bound nucleus
  • Found in extreme environments

Eukarya-

  • Usually multicelled organisms that have a membrane nucleus

Flap (#2)-Kingdom

  • Includes the following kingdoms
  • Plants- multicellular, autotrophs
  • Vascular plants
  • Nonvascular plants
  • Animals- multicellular, heterotrophs (we will divide this up below in phylum)
  • Fungi- multicellular, heterotrophs, absorb food from decaying organisms
  • Three groups
  • Sac fungi- yeast, morels, truffles
  • Club fungi- mushroom, bracket fungi, rusts
  • Zygote fungi- fruit and bread molds
  • Protists – single and multicellular, various feeding strategies. Misfit group
  • includes 3 groups
  • plant like protists- algae, kelp
  • animal like protists- amoeba, paramecium, euglena
  • fungi like protists- slime molds, water mold, downy mildew

Flap # 3-PHYLUM

Divides each kingdom into smaller groups

Animal Kingdom divided into

Invertebrate phylum- Many diverse groups without back bones.

  • Cnidaria – Jelly fish,
  • Echinodermata – Star fish
  • 3 phyla of worms
  • Porifera – sponges
  • Many other non chordate animals
  • Phylum Chordata-
  • dorsal hollow nerve cord, notochord (these become the spinal column, spinal cord, and brain in people)

Flap #4-Class

Divides phylum into smaller groups

Chordate phylum divided into the following classes

Mammalia - Warm blooded, Fur, mammary glands, chambered heart, parental care

Reptilia- Egg with 4 layers, Dry Scaly skin, Pump air with throat, Breathe air, live on land but can swim

Aves- Birds have feathers, flight skeleton, lay eggs, warm blooded, descended from dinosaurs.

Amphibia- Wet slimy skin, aquatic life stage with gills, adult life stage with lungs, breathe through skin

Fish- Jaws, fins, gills to absorb oxygen molecules from water.

Order-Flap #5

Divides classes into smaller groups

Mammal orders (not complete list)

  • Rodent – mice, rats, squirrels, beaver
  • Insectivore- shrews, moles
  • Carnivore- dogs, cats, raccoons, hyena, bears, skunks, seals, sea lions, walrus
  • Artiodactlya- 2 or 4 toed grazing animals, deer, cow, pig, goat, camel, antelope, giraffe
  • Perissodactlya- 1 or 3 toed grazers horses, tapir and rhinos
  • Cetecea– whales and dophins
  • Marsupial orders- all animals with a pouch for young there are many different classes, kangaroos, koala
  • Primates – monkeys, apes, loris, galago, tarsiers, chimps, people

Flap #6 Family

Divides orders into smaller groups

Characteristics

  • Large Brain,
  • long term parental care
  • binocular vision

Groups –

  • Galagos
  • Loris
  • New world monkeys- capuchin, spider monkey, squirrel monkey, howler
  • Old world monkeys- baboons,
  • Hominids-

Flap #7-Genus

Divides families into smaller groups

Hominid family has following groups

Gorillas

Chimpanzees

People - genus Homo (prefix that means “the same”)

Flap #8- Species

A single type of organism that can interbreed and produce viable offspring

Sapien (all humans are Homo sapiens)

Characteristics

Walk upright

Very long term parental care

Speech and written language

Complex social structure