|
Group Name |
Organism |
||||
|
Human |
Chimpanzee |
House Cat |
Lion |
Housefly |
|
|
Kingdom |
Animalia |
Animalia |
Animalia |
Animalia |
Animal |
|
Phylum |
Chordate |
Chordate |
Chordate |
Chordate |
Arthropoda |
|
Class |
Mammal |
Mammal |
Mammal |
Mammal |
Insect |
|
Order |
Primates |
Primates |
Carnivora |
Carnivora |
Diptera |
|
Family |
Hominidae |
Pongidae |
Felidae |
Felidae |
Muscidae |
|
Genus |
Homo |
Pan |
Felis |
Felis |
Musca |
|
Species |
sapiens |
troglodytes |
domestica |
leo |
domestica |
|
Scientific Name |
Homo sapiens |
Pan troglodytes |
Felis domestica |
Felis leo |
Musca domestica |
All five of the organisms are classified as animals because they are multicellular, have eukaryotic cells, are heterotrophic, and they are capable of moving. The human, chimp, cat, and lion have enough similar characteristics that they are put in the same phylum as well as the same class. The defining characteristics of each subgroup (as you go down each column) become more specific. The shared characteristics of the members of a kingdom are broad, but the shared characteristics of members of a species are very specific.
In order for two organisms to be in the same “specific” group, they must also be in all the same “broad” groups above it. For example, if two organisms are in the same ORDER, they must be in the same class, phylum & kingdom. Even though the cat & the housefly have the same species group name (domestica), they CAN’T BE the same species because they are not in the same genus, family, order, etc. In fact, that last group name (species) doesn’t really mean anything all by itself. The correct, full species name is the organism’s two-part scientific name. Every organism is given a scientific name which consists of its genus name (1st) & species name (2nd). This is called binomial nomenclature (bi-nomial = 2 names) and is attributed to Carolus Linnaeus. A human’s scientific name is Homo sapiens, a lion’s is Felis leo, a house cat’s is Felis domesticas, etc. In a scientific name, the genus name should be capitalized and the species name lowercase. Both should be either italicized orunderlined.
The closer the evolutionary relationship between two organisms, the more groups they have in common. Of the 5 in this chart, the cat & lion are most closely related (they are classified together in the first 6 groups). A human is more related to a chimp (4 groups in common) than to a lion (only 3 common groups).
| Kingdom | Phylum | Characteristics | Example(s) |
| Monera | blue-green algae | autotrophic | blue-green algae |
| bacteria | heterotrophic | Streptococcus Staphylococcus | |
| Protist | algae (plant-like) | autotrophic | “sea weeds” diatoms Spirogyra |
| protozoa (animal-like) | heterotrophic | Ameba Paramecium | |
| Fungi | the thing to remember about this kingdom is that most are multicellular (mushrooms, molds, mildew) and a few are unicellular (yeast). don’t worry about specific phyla names. :) | ||
| Plants | bryophyte | nonvascular plants (small & simple) | mosses liverworts |
| tracheophyte | vascular plants | trees flowering plants ferns | |
| Animal | coelenterates | tentacles hollow body cavity | hydra jellyfish |
| annelids | worms with segmented bodies | earthworm | |
| arthropods | exoskeletons jointed legs | grasshoppers lobsters spiders | |
| chordates | have a notochord (nerve chord) & usually a backbone | humans & other mammals birds reptiles amphibians fish | |
The history of biological thought and the evidence that supports it are explored and provide the foundation for investigating biochemical life processes, cellular organization, mechanisms of inheritance, dynamic relationships among organisms, and the change in organisms through time. The importance of scientific research that validates or challenges ideas is emphasized at this level. BIO.2 The student will investigate and understand the history of biological concepts. Key concepts include * evidence supporting the cell theory; * scientific explanations of the development of organisms through time; * causative agents of disease; * the evolution of the DNA model; and * the collaborative efforts of scientists, past and present. BIO.3 The student will investigate and understand biochemical principles essential for life. Key concepts include * water chemistry and its impact on life processes; * the structure and function of macromolecules; * the nature of enzymes; and * the significance of and relationship between photosynthesis and respiration.