What is classification?

1. What is classification? Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. The word comes from the Greek τάξις, taxis (meaning 'order') and νόμος, nomos ('law' or 'science').

2. Why classify living things? • Personal safety: knowing which spider is venomous in case of a spider bite. • Quarantine: identify species that might cause harm to our indigenous species. Eg. Fruit fly, wood coming from overseas. • Medicine: Eg. Rainforest plants might hold the answer to curing diseases. • Conservation: To identify & save endangered species. • Forensics: Identifying plant matter to a crime scene. • Agriculture & Horticulture: Eg. Identifying pest species and finding a Biological control for the pest.

3. Personal Safety

4. Quarantine

5. Medicine Desert mushrooms (Pycnoporus coccineus.) Aboriginal people suck on the bright orange desert mushroom to cure a sore mouth or lips. It has been known to be a kind of natural teething ring, and is also useful for babies with oral thrush.  Snake vine (Tinospora smilacina) Communities in central Australia used to crush sections of the vine to treat headaches, rhumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory-related ailments. The sap and leaves were sometimes used to treat sores and wounds. 

6. Conservation

7. Forensics They found leaves and bark entwined in her hair, more leaves caught up in her arms. Crepe myrtle. Cat’s claw creeper. Chinese elm. ­Fishbone fern. Lillipilly. Eucalyptus. All were found growing in the garden of her Brookfield home. They littered the ground.

8. Agriculture and Horticulture

9. History of classification: Aristotle Aristotle during the Ancient Greek civilisation started to classify living things. Aristotle's classification of living things contains some elements which still existed in the nineteenth century. What the modern zoologist would call vertebrates and invertebrates, Aristotle called 'animals with blood' and 'animals without blood‘. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle

10. History of classification: Aristotle Plant or animal? If an animal, does it Fly Swim Crawl Aristotle used simple classifications. Used common names.

11. What is a species? • An organism that is able to interbreed and produce fertile, viable offspring.

14. Scientific Names Naja naja Homo sapien Canis familiaris Triticum aestivum

15. Pieza kake Gelae baen Spongiforma squarepantsii Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides

16. History of classification: Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus known as the father of modern taxonomy Classified organisms by their structure Developed naming system still used today. Binomial nomenclature Two-word name (Genus & species) Example: Scientific name: Homo sapien Common name: Humans What are the rules for writing scientific names? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal

17. History of classification: Linnaeus Title page of the 1760 edition of Systema Naturae. The first edition of Systema Naturae was printed in the Netherlands in 1735. It was an eleven page work. By the time it reached its 10th edition (1758), it classified 4,400 species of animals and 7,700 species of plants.

18. Why scientific names? 1. Latin names and some Greek names are easily understood by all Scientists. 2. Prevents errors that sometimes exist with common names. Example 1: starfish & jellyfish aren’t really fish. Example 2: a robin in Australia is a different to robins in USA. 3. Prevents confusion which would exist if we used different languages. Eg. Cat, gatto, katze.

19. Why scientific names? 4. Knowing the scientific name allows you to understand the nature of the living organism. 5. Scientific names tell us how closely related living things are. Eg. Macropus rufus (Red wallaby) Macropus giganteus (Eastern grey kangaroo)

20. Whittaker’s 5 Kingdoms

21. Updated to 6 Kingdoms • Prokaryotes (Used to be 1 kingdom, Monera) • Archaebacteria • Eubacteria • Eukaryotes • Fungi • Protista • Animal • Plantae

22. Classification hierarchy Kingdom (broadest) Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species (most specific) Kingdom (eg. Animalia) Phylum (eg. Mollusca) Class (eg. Gastropoda) Order (eg. Archeaogastropoda) Family (eg. Muricidae) Genus (eg. Murex) Species (eg. Murex brandaris)

24. KPCOFGS: Mnemonics King Penguins Can Only Fly Going South! King Phillip Came Over For Gooseberry Soup! What mnemonic can you create to help you learn the levels of classification?

25. Dichotomous Key: Animals

26. Classification today – field guides Field guides are a commonly used type of reference book to help people identify organisms. These books are specially designed to assist you in ‘on-the spot’ identification. They often contain brief written descriptions and pictures and are Small enough to take outside when you are observing wildlife.

27. Classification Today

28. Classification today – online databases Animal Diversity Web - University of Michigan's database of animals, showing taxonomic classification, images, and other information. ARKive - multimedia database of worldwide endangered/protected species and common species of UK. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html

29. ClassificationToday • Phylogeny: study of the evolution of living things. Examine fossils, organism distribution, and shared characteristics to create connections between all living things.

31. Classification today 2. Analysis of protein & DNA in cells.

32. Bird Cladogram

33. Human Evolution

34. Classification today The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is a collaborative effort of biologists from around the world. On more than 9000 World Wide Web pages, the project provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their evolutionary history (phylogeny), and characteristics. http://tolweb.org/tree/

35. Teacher Notes: KPCOFGS Example classification: humans Domain:Eukarya (organisms which have cells with a nucleus) Kingdom:Animalia (with eukaryotic cells having cell membrane but lacking cell wall, multicellular, heterotrophic) Phylum:Chordata (animals with a notochord, dorsal nerve cord, and pharyngeal gill slits, which may be vestigial) Subphylum:Vertebrata (possessing a backbone, which may be cartilaginous, to protect the dorsal nerve cord) Class:Mammalia (endothermic vertebrates with hair and mammary glands which, in females, secrete milk to nourish young) Cohort:Placentalia (giving birth to live young after a full internal gestation period) Order:Primates (collar bone, eyes face forward, grasping hands with fingers) Suborder:Anthropoidea (the monkeys, apes, and hominids. As opposed to the lemurs, loris, and tarsier.) Infraorder:Catarrhini (Monkeys, apes, and hominids from the eastern hemisphere) Superfamily:Hominoidae (Humans and great apes.) Family:Hominidae (upright posture, large brain, stereoscopic vision, flat face, hands and feet have different specializations) Genus:Homo (s-curved spine, "man") Species:Homo sapiens (high forehead, well-developed chin, gracile bone structure)

36. Teacher Notes: Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of species based on evolutionary ancestry. Cladistics is distinguished from other taxonomic systems because it focuses on evolution rather than similarities between species, and because it places heavy emphasis on objective, quantitative analysis. Cladistics generates diagrams called cladograms that represent the evolutionary tree of life. DNA and RNA sequencing data are used in many important cladistic efforts. Computer programs are widely used in cladistics, due to the highly complex nature of cladogram generation procedures. Cladistics originated in the work of the German entomologist, Willi Hennig, who himself referred to it as phylogenetic systematics; the use of the terms "cladistics" and "clade" was popularized by other researchers.[1] The term phylogenetics is often used synonymously with cladistics. Cladistics originated in the field of biology but in recent years has found application in other disciplines. The word cladistics is derived from the ancient Greekκλάδος, klados, "branch."

37. Additional Resources Online classification power point http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/kkozar-50479-taxonomy-classification-life-education-ppt-powerpoint/

38. Sample Australian Animal & Plant Profile 2007

39. Australian Plants and Animals Spotted Cuscus Albany Pitcher Plant By Cassie Hills, Sharla Rogic and Nicole Pirrotta

40. Spotted Cuscus Profile Facts • Cuscus are nocturnal • Cuscus nest in hollow trees and clumps of vegetation. • The spotted Cuscus is known to eat fruit and leaves, however , in captivity they may eat meat and eggs also. Habitat Habitat • Cuscus are extremely endangered, so they populate little of Australia. • Cuscus' habitat is lowland tropical rainforest and adjacent mangroves. • The habitat of the cuscus is in Far Northern Queensland.

41. Spotted Cuscus Classification Common name: Spotted Cuscus Scientific name: Spilocuscus maculatus Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammmalia Subclass: Marsupialia Order: Diprotodontia Genus: Spilocuscus Species maculatus

42. Length= 50-100cm including tail Spotted Cuscus physical features Colour (female) - normally a light creamy colour Females have pouches to carry their young Only the male Spotted Cuscus has spots Colour (male) - ranges from a grey rust-coloured often with contrasting splotches A Cuscus’ nose is very sensitive There is no fur on the bottom of their tales, making it easier to climb with They have five toes, one of which is opposable Weight -approximately 1.5 to 4 kg.

43. Albany Pitcher Plant Profile Facts • Crawling insects climb up the pitcher (food tube) in search of food and are unable to climb out due to the pod’s unique design • During Summer months, seed-bearing flowers may appear. Habitat • The Albany pitcher plant is found in Western Australia normally in the extreme southwestern areas (near the town of Albany) • Grows in scrubby areas that are moist all year around, on sandy soils • They are also known to grow in freshwater wetlands, ditches, and slow streams. Range Commonly found (Albany)

44. Albany Pitcher Plant Classification • Kingdom: Plantae • Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae • Phylum: Tracheophyta • Subphylum: Spermatophytina • Infraphylum: Gymnospermae • Class: Pinopsida • Order: Pinales - conifers • Family: Cephalotaxaceae • Genus: Cephalotus • Species: follicularis • Botanical Name: Cephalotus follicularis • Common name: Albany Pitcher plant or Australian Pitcher plant • Scientific name: Cephalotus follicularis

45. Albany Pitcher Plant Physical Features • Flowers are white and are around 6mm in size They have a pitcher (food tube) 2-5cm long • They have very thin roots but as they grow the roots get thicker If the Albany Pitcher Plant is grown in full sunlight, it becomes dark red. If it is grown in shade it becomes light green • They have one-seed ovaries • One flower on the plant may contain around 6 seeds These rounded teeth are very sharp, making it hard for insects to climb out. • Albany Pitcher Plants only grow to about 5-10cm high