Classification
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Classification This is Panorpa japonica. Commonly known as the scorpion fly.
Carolus Linnaeus • Created the classification system and binomial nomenclature.
Taxonomy • Taxonomy is the science of naming and classifying organisms. • Linnaean taxonomy classifies organisms based on their physical and structural similarities.
Taxonomy • Organisms are placed on different levels in which each level is included in a larger, more general level. • A group of organisms in a classification system is called a taxa. • The most basic taxon is species.
Binomial Nomenclature • Binomial nomenclature is a system that gives each species a two-part scientific name using Latin words. • The first part of the name is the genus, which is always capitalized. • The second part of the name is the species. It is always lowercase.
Scientific Names • Why do biologists use scientific names? • Genera may contain hundred of species that have very similar common names. • Scientific names allow scientists to talk about particular species without confusion.
Linnaeus classification system has seven levels • From the most general to the most specific: • Kingdom • Phylum • Class • Order • Family • Genus • Species
Dichotomous Keys • Dichotomous keys are used to identify organisms through a series of steps. • A dichotomous key is made up of paired statements. (di = two) • Each object fits into one category or the other, but not both.
The Linnaean classification system has limitations. • The Linnaean system focuses on physical similarities alone. • Today, scientists use genetic research to help classify organisms. • Genetic similarities between two organisms are more likely than physical similarities to be due to a common ancestor.
Phylogeny • The evolutionary history for a group of species is called phylogeny. • To classify species, scientists look at more than just physical traits. • They use living species • the fossil record • DNA data • Phylogenies can be shown as branching tree diagrams.
Cladistics • Cladistics is classification based on common ancestry. • The goal of cladistics is to place species in the order in which they descended from a common ancestor. • A cladogram is an evolutionary tree that proposes how species may be related to each other through common ancestors.
Derived Characters • Derived characters are traits that can be used to figure out evolutionary relationships. • Cladograms are made by figuring out which derived characters are shared by which species. • The more closely a related species are, the more derived characters they will share. Derived Characters: Organisms that branch off after a hash mark share the derived character represented by the hash mark. A bony skeleton is a derived character. Sharks do not have this derived character.
Interpreting a Cladogram • Derived characters are shown as hash marks between the branches of a cladogram. • All species above a hash mark share the derived character it represents. • This order is hypothesized to be the order in which they descended from their common ancestor. Derived Characters
Interpreting a Cladogram • Nodes • Each place where a branch splits is called a node. • Nodes represent the most recent common ancestor shared by a clade. • Identifying Clades • A clade is a group of organisms that share certain traits derived from a common ancestor. Nodes: In a cladogram, a node is the intersection of two branches. This node represents the most recent common ancestor shared by the entire mammalian clade. Clade: A clade is a group of organisms that share certain traits derived from a common ancestor.
Molecular evidence reveals species’ relatedness. • An evolutionary tree is always a work in process. • Hormones, proteins, and genes are all used to help learn about evolutionary relationships. • DNA is considered to be the “last word” when figuring out how related two species are to each other. • The more similar to each other the genes of two species are, the more closely related the species are likely to be. Bonobo Chimpanzee
Molecular Clocks • Molecular clocks are models that use mutation rates to measure evolutionary time. • Mutations are nucleotide substitutions in DNA, some of which cause amino acid substitutions in proteins. • These mutations tend to add up at a constant rate for a group of related species. • The more time that has passed since two species have diverged from a common ancestor, the more mutations will have built up in each lineage, and the more different the two species will be at the molecular level.
Linking molecular data with time. • Scientists must find links between molecular data and time. • A geologic event that is known to have separated a species allows scientists to give a real date to the rate of mutation. • For example: Scientists know that the marsupials of Australia and those of South America diverged about 200 million years ago, when these two continents split. • A link can also come from fossil evidence. • Molecular data can be compared to the first appearance of each type of organism in the fossil record. South American “Monito del Monte”—Monkey of the Mountains. A marsupial. Austrailian bandicoot. A marsupial.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) • Mitochondrial DNA is found only in mitochrondria. • mtDNA is always inherited from the mother. • mtDNA is passed down unshuffled through many generations.
Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) • Ribosomal RNA is found only in the ribosomes of cells. • rRNA accumulates mutations VERY slowly.
Classification is always a work in progress. • 1753—two kingdoms • Animalia and Plantae • 1866—three kingdoms • Animalia, Plantae, Protista • 1938—four kingdoms • Animalia, Plantae, Protista, Monera • 1959—five kingdoms • Animalia, Plantae, Protista, Monera, Fungi • 1977—six kingdoms • Animalia, Plantae, Protista, Archaea, Bacteria, Fungi This is wrong!
Eukarya • All organisms with eukaryotic cells. • May be single-celled, colonial, or multicellular. • Includes the kingdoms Protista, Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia.
Archaea • Single-celled prokaryotes. • Cell walls are chemically different from bacteria—allows achaea to live in extreme environments. • Archaea are found in deep sea vents, hot geysers, Antarctic waters, salt lakes, and in the middle of volcanoes.
Bacteria • Single-celled prokaryotes. • Largest groups of organisms on Earth. • There are more bacteria in your mouth than there are people that have ever lived!