Classification Definition of Classification Putting things into orderly

Classification

Definition of Classification £Putting things into orderly groups based on similar characteristics

Carolus Linnaeus £Botanist, physician, & zoologist £Created science of classification (taxonomy) £Based his classifications on shape and structure

Binomial (two name) Nomenclature £Scientific names consist of two parts: the organism’s GENUS and SPECIES name £Rules for scientific names: ¤ 1 st letter of genus is always capitalized ¤Species is always lower case ¤Name is always underlined (if written) or in italics (if typed)

Examples: £Chinese alligator: Alligator sinensis £Red maple: Acer rubrum £Humans: Homo sapien

Classification Today £In modern science we classify organisms based on shared characteristics. We usually classify based on what an organism looks like. £There are 7 levels of classification used to identify an organism.

Levels of Classification Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

Example: Classification of a Whale Shark Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Orectolobiformes Family: Rhincodontidae Genus: Rhincodon Species: typus

Dichotomous Key £Uses pairs of descriptions to identify an organism. £This is what many entomologists, botanists, and other scientists use to identify the specimens that they collect in the wild!

A Dichotomous Key for Insects 1. a. wings covered by an exoskeleton ………go to step 2 b. wings not covered by an exoskeleton ………. go to step 3 2. a. body has a round shape ………. ladybug b. body has an elongated shape ………. grasshopper 3. a. wings point out from the side of the body ………. dragonfly b. wings point back ………. housefly