classification and taxonomic rankings
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Classification And Taxonomic Rankings. Taxonomy = Science of Classification (do not confuse with Taxidermy ). Old way to classify – only visual (external anatomy) Today – visual, anatomical, biogeography, biochemical, DNA . Goals of a Taxonomist:. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
ClassificationAnd
Taxonomic Rankings
Taxonomy = Science of Classification(do not confuse with Taxidermy)
Old way to classify – only visual (external anatomy)
Today – visual, anatomical, biogeography, biochemical, DNA
Goals of a Taxonomist:
1. Discover all species of animals and plants2. Reconstruct their evolutionary relationships
An animal’s evolutionary history or “family tree” is called phylogeny.
Quick History of Classification (Systematic):Aristotle (great philosopher,
not a great systematist)- Plants and animals;
categorized based on where organism lived
Quick History of Classification (Systematic):Carolus Linnaeus (Swedish Botanist)
- 1st scientific attempt- Plants and animals (based on
anatomy!)
Quick History of Classification (Systematic):Ernst Haeckel (1937)
- Better microscopes- Eukaryotes or Prokaryotes
Quick History of Classification (Systematic):Robert Whittaker (1969)
- Five kingdoms!- Plants, Animals, Fungi, Protists,
Monera
Quick History of Classification (Systematic):Carl Woese (1977) U of I Professor
- better DNA/RNA analysis- Six kingdoms, 3 domains (Eukarya, Bacteria, Archea)
Back to Linnaeus:
He developed the “binomial nomenclature” system, giving every organism a genus and species
Today it is called a “scientific name” Examples:
Felis domesticus (Common name = Domestic Cat)Canis familiaris (Common name = Domestic Dog)Homo sapien (Common name = Human)
Taxonomic Rankings (Hierarchy) Animals grouped based on common
characteristics into levels called “taxa” or “taxons”
KingdomPhylum
ClassOrder
Family
GenusSpecies