Classifying OrganismsIntroductionSuppose you had only 10 minutes to run into a supermarket to get what

you needed. Could you do it? In most supermarkets this would be an easy

task. You would probably head straight to the area where the items were

located. But what if you had to shop for the same items in a market where

things were randomly placed throughout the store. Where would you

begin? You would have to search through a lot of things before you found

what you needed! You could be there for a long time! Biologists have

organized living things with similarities into groups so that the organisms

are easier to study. This process is called classification.

TaskWorking with a partner, you will research the distinguishing characteristics of kingdoms of organisms, the distinguishing characteristics of major animal and plant phyla and the characteristics of the species.

As you explore you will answer the following questions on your worksheet:

• Why do scientists classify?

• What is the scientific study of how living things are classified called?

• What are the major levels of classification?

• How are organisms classified?

• What are the six different kingdoms of organisms recognized by scientists today?

• What are some examples of major animal and plant phyla?

Process• Follow the directions for each section carefully.

• Answer all questions in your packet.

Why Do Scientists Classify?Classification is the process of grouping things based on their similarities. Biologists use classification to organize living things into groups so that the organisms are easier to study.

The scientific study of how living things are classified is called taxonomy.

Classify Organisms Based on Physical Features• How might you classify a sunflower, a robin, a lizard, a blue jay, and a tree? Fill in your answers on the worksheet provided.

Classify Organisms Based on Physical FeaturesWhat characteristics may have been used to group these beetles? Write answers on your worksheet.

Levels of Classification

Organisms are grouped by their shared characteristics.

Understanding ClassificationImagine a room filled with everybody from the state of New York.

There may be some people from Northern New York. There may be some people from Franklin County. There may be some people that are from

Brushton. There may be someone that lives on your street. You will be the only one that lives in your house.

New York- The most general group you belong to is the state.

Your House - The most specific group you belong to is your house.

The more levels you share with others, the more you have in common.

Levels of Classification• Click on the following link to complete a classification activity. Return to this webquest when you are done.

http://www.quia.com/pp/51115.html?AP_rand=463451876

History of Classification• Carolus Linnaeus devised a system of naming organisms. Each organism has a unique, two-part scientific name. This naming system is called binomial nomenclature.

• Click on this website to answer questions about him on your worksheet:http://study.com/academy/lesson/carolus-linnaeus-classification-taxonomy-contributions-to-biology.html

Click on each picture below to see what their scientific names are.

Kingdoms• Any grouping of organisms into kingdoms is based on several factors:

– Presence of a nucleus – Unicellular or multi-cellular – How organisms get their food.

• Six different kingdoms of organisms are generally recognized by scientists today

– Eubacteria – Archaeabacteria – Protists – Fungi – Plants – Animals

Go to the following website find out what the main characteristics of these kingdoms are. Complete the chart in your packet. http://www.ric.edu/faculty/ptiskus/six_kingdoms/index.htm

Recognize Examples of Major Animal PhylaUse the following websites to complete the chart in your packet.

Cnidarians - List three examples.

Mollusks - Name the three groupings (classes) of this phyla.

Annelida - How many species of this phyla are there?

Arthropods - List three examples of arthropods.

Echinoderm s - This phyla generally have ____ arms and dwell at the bottom of oceans’ levels.

- List three examples of echinodermsChordate s are animals with _____________________.

- Animal groups in this phyla include ________, ____________, _____________, _________________, and _______________.

Recognize Examples of Major Plant PhylaUse the following websites to answer the questions and complete the chart in your packet.

Mosses - This plant phyla are found in _____ areas and do not grow vertically too high but can spread out to be a yard long.

They are found on ___________ floors and appear as sort of a living carpet.

Mosses make their own food through _______________________.

Conifers- This plant phyla bears ______, instead of real fruits.

Ferns - This plant phyla can mostly be found in ________ _______ _________. (3 word answer)

Poster Assignment

Now that you know something about classification and taxonomy, you are to create a poster that shows how a single organism is classified from Kingdom all the way down to Species.

You must show ALL levels of classification – Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

You must give the binomial nomenclature of your organism It can be ANY type of organism – plant, animal, fungi, protest, bacteria, or

archaebacteria It is up to you to choose websites that will help you find this information. There is an example on my webpage of what your final poster could look like (poster

example) You can either use a sheet of computer paper and write/draw/cut out pictures, or you

can use a computer program such as Word or Google Docs to create. Your poster needs to be neat, in colour, and fit onto ONE sheet of paper. Your name needs to be clearly visible in the bottom right corner of the poster.