CLASSIFICATION
Learning Outcomes:
1. Understand that organisms can be classified into groups by the features they
share
2. Describe a species as a group of organisms that can reproduce to produce
fertile offspring
3. Describe the binomial system of naming species as an internationally agreed
system in which the scientific name of an organism is made up of two parts
showing the genus and species
4. Features of Organisms:
1. State the main features used to place all organisms into one of the five
kingdoms: Animal, Plant, Fungus, Prokaryote, and Protoctist.
2. State the main features used to place organisms into groups within the animal
kingdom, limited to: (a) the main groups of vertebrates: mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians, fish (b) the main groups of arthropods: myriapods, insects, arachnids,
crustaceans.
3. State the main features used to place organisms into groups within the plant
kingdom, limited to ferns and flowering plants (dicotyledons and
monocotyledons).
4. Classify organisms using the features identified in 2.2.1, 2.2.2 and 2.2.3
5. State the main features of viruses, limited to protein coat and genetic material.
6 Understand that viruses can only replicate in living cells.
Classification
Organizing the living organisms into groups on the basis of similarities in their characteristics is
called classification.
The features belonging to a particular organism is called characteristics.
Taxonomy is the branch of biology of naming, describing and classifying organisms and includes
all plants, animals and microorganisms of the world.
It was developed by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in the 1700s.
Need/Importance of classification:
1. It makes the study of wide variety of organisms easy.
2. It also helps to understand the relationship among different organisms.
Species: A group of organisms that can interbreed with each other and produce fertile
offspring.
Fertile means that it has the ability to reproduce.
If you reproduce same species, outcome will be fertile.
If we reproduce different species, outcome will be infertile. e.g if we breed a horse and a
donkey together, get a mule which is infertile.
These species can be classified on the basis of features they share.
For example: All the mammals have bodies covered with hair, they give birth to babies, feed the
young with mammary glands and have external ears like Bat.
Binomial Nomenclature:
Scientists named organisms in Latin using the binomial system where the scientific name of an
organism is made up of two parts starting with the genus (always given a capital letter) and
followed by the species (starting with a lower case letter)
When typed binomial names are always in italics (which indicates they are Latin) e.g. Homo
sapiens. Frog ( Rana tigrina), Onion ( Alium cepa)
The sequence of classification
is: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
The largest group of organisms in classification is KINGDOM while smallest group of organisms
in classification Species.
Robert Whittaker proposed 5 kingdom classification schemes.
It consists of animals, plants, fungi, prokaryotes and protista.
1. Kingdom Animals:
A kingdom is a category of classification.
Animals are multicellular organisms.
No cell walls or chloroplasts.
Most animals ingest solid food and digest it internally.
1. Invertebrates Invertebrates are animals without a backbone or bony skeleton.
2. Vertebrates: A vertebrate is an animal with a spinal cord surrounded by cartilage or bone.
The word comes from vertebrae, the bones that make up the spine (vertebral column).
Phylum: is 2nd category of classification. Kingdom is divided into Phylum
1. Phylum Arthropoda 2. Phylum Chordata (Sub- Phylum Vertebrata)
1. Phylum Arthropoda:
Arthropoda means jointed legs/limbs
Hard rigid exoskeleton
Body is segmented (made of several sections)
Flexible joints which allow movement between these segments.
Body is divided into three distinct regions Head, Thorax and abdomen
Classes:
Crustaceans
Arachnids
Insects
Myriapods
1. Crustaceans:
Most of them are aquatic
Few are adapted to land
5 or more pairs of legs
Body is divided into cephalothorax and abdomen
2 pairs of antennae
1 pair of compound eyes (many lenses)
Exoskeleton forms a hard covering over most of the body.
Examples: crab, woodlice, lobsters
2. Arachnids:
Almost all live in dry places but few lives in water (water spider)
Do not have wings
Have two body segments (Cephalothorax + Abdomen)
Several pairs of simple eyes
4 or 5 pairs of legs
No antennae
In addition ,2 pairs of pedipalps, one pair is used in reproduction
Other is used to pierce and paralyse prey with poison.
E.g spider, mite etc.
3. Insects:
Have wings 1-2 pairs
3 pairs of legs
1 pair of antennae
I pair of compound eyes
3 body segments (head thorax and abdomen)
Examples: Butterflies, Beetles, dragon fly, wasp etc.
4. Myriapods:
Long many body segments for movement
No clear thorax or abdomen
One pair of antennae
Each segment has one pair of long legs; however the whole body has 10 or more than
pairs of legs.
Have simple eyes
e.g centipede, millipede
2. Phylum Chordata: Sub Phylum Vertebrata:
Classes: 1. Fish 2. Amphibians 3. Reptiles 4. Birds 5. Mammals
1. Fish:
They are aquatic.
They have gills to breath
They have fins to movement and balance
Having wet scales
They have external fertilization (fusion of male gamete sperm with female gamete egg)
They lay eggs
They are cold blooded, is an informal term referring to animal species which cannot
maintain a body temperature than their environment. No internal mechanism for
temperature control
Their eggs are covered with a jelly like substance.
Having eyes but no ears.
Amphibians:
They have moist bodies
They live water and land both
They are cold blooded
They lay eggs in water
No scales
They have 4 limbs.
They breathe through skin and gills but adults develop lungs
Their eggs are covered with a jelly like substance.
Eyes, ears are present
Examples: Frogs, toads and Newts
3. Reptiles:
They have dry scales reduces water loss
They have 4 limbs except snakes
Land living vertebrates
They have sharp teeth.
They are predators.
They lay eggs on land.
The eggs are covered in a leathery water proof shell
They have lungs for breathing
They are cold blooded
They have internal fertilization
Eyes, ears are present
Examples: Crocodile, snakes, lizards, turtles
4. Birds:
Their bodies are covered with feathers
They have beaks and wings.
They lay hard shelled eggs
They are warm blooded is an informal term referring to animal species which can
maintain a body temperature than their environment. Have internal mechanism for
temperature control
They have lungs to breathe
They have internal fertilization
They have two limbs covered in scales
Eyes, ears are present
Examples: Sparrow, hawk
5. Mammals:
They have bodies covered with hairs
They have 4 limbs
They give birth young ones
They feed their young ones with milk from mammary glands
They are warm blooded
They have internal fertilization.
They have lungs for breathing
Eyes, ears with a pinna (external flap) are present
Examples: Bat, Bear, humans
PLANT KINGDOM
This include all the plants, multicellular, have cell walls, chloroplasts
1. Ferns (Non Flowering plants) 2. Flowering Plants
Ferns:
Stem and leaves have cells like vascular tissues or vascular bundle (Xylem and Phloem).
Xylem: transport water and minerals from roots to aerial parts of the plant.
Phloem: transport prepared food (leaves) to other parts of the plant.
The leaves of ferns vary with one another.
Most of them have an upper and lower epidermis, a layer of palisade cells and a spongy
mesophyll, similar to the leaves of flowering plants.
Ferns produce gametes (reproductive cells) but no seeds. (Seedless plants)
Zygote is formed means
Sporangia are present.
These sporangia contains spores are in them.
Sporangia are basically spore capsules which have the ability to reproduce.
The sporangia are present on the lower side of the leaf but their position depends on
the species of ferns.
Ferns do not from buds.
2. Flowering Plants:
Reproduce by seeds that are formed in flowers
Seeds are enclosed in an ovary
Divided into 2 subclasses
1. Monocotyledons :( Mono cots)
Cotyledon is an embryonic leaf/tissue which contains food stores.
They have one cotyledons (first leaves) in their seeds
The leaves are long and narrow
They have parallel leaf veins
These have groups of flower parts (petals, sepals carpels) three in number
2. Dicotyledons: (Dicots)
They have two cotyledons in their seeds
The leaves are broad
They have branching veins in leaves
These have group of flower parts, five in number (Sepals, petals, carpels)
3. KINGDOM FUNGI: include mushrooms, moulds, yeasts etc.
most fungi are made up of thread like hyphae rather than cells.
have many nucleus, scattered through cytoplasm.
are parasites. Fungal Cell wall is made up of CHITIN
live in soil and dead matter
cause diseases both in plants and animals
are decomposers.
4. KINGDOM PROKARYOTE
Prokaryotes are the organisms that do not have nuclear membrane around nuclear
materials.
Unicellular, These include bacteria and blue green algae
KINGDOM Protoctist/ Protista:
These include Euglena, amoeba, paramecium, chlamydomonas etc.
Unicellular, Eukaryotes
Some protoctists have plant like characteristics, are photosynthetic, have chloroplasts, make
their own food.
VIRUSES: are simple organisms made up of a genetic material (DNA/RNA) surrounded by a
protein coat.
The genetic material is either DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) or RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
Viruses have no true nucleus, cytoplasm, cell organelles or cell membrane
Sometimes a membrane called envelope surrounds a virus particle.
Viruses are acellular means don’t have true cell. Therefore virus is not considered a true
living organism.
Viruses do not carry the 7 life processes for themselves; instead they take over the host
cells metabolic pathways in order to make multiple copies of themselves. (Replication)
Humane immune system is very good against virus invaders.
Sometimes, immune system cannot defeat virus and it can cause permanent damage.
Antibiotics do not work against viruses, this work only for bacterial infections.
Viruses are harmful that cause diseases like HIV, AIDS, very difficult to develop vaccines.
Dichotomous Key:
A series of paired yes/no statements used to identify unknown organisms.
Types: are of 2 types:
1. Branched 2. Numbered
Steps: Following are the steps are involved:
Step 1: Set up list of paired statements
Step 2: List trait
Good Choices Bad Choices
Physical feature Location
Objective Behavior
Specific Classification
True Most/all of the time Subjective
Step 3: Choose one broad trait to separate into two groups.
Fill in step 1
Step 4: Choose another trait to divide first group.
If you are down one organism, put name on right
Step 5: Continued with paired statements until all organisms are identified
Step 6: Use your own key