the linnaean hierarchy
VOCAB FOR THIS PAGE:
Derived Charcteristic- a trait or characteristic that has evolved throughout a species history
Shared Characteristic-a trait of characteristic that appears in more than one species
Domain- the more recently added level of the hierarchy, higher than kingdom
Vertebrate- animals with backbones
Invertebrate- animal without backbones
To the left is a simple chart representing the Linnaean hierarchy. Kingdom, Phylum ,Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. This was Linnaeas' way of classifying organisms. At the top is Kingdom. Kingdom is the most diverse category. There are six different kingdoms, Bacteria, Archaea, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia. I will go into furthur detail with the six kingdoms at the bottom. aAt the bottom of the chart is Species. Species is the least diverse and the most specific of the levels. There are over one thousand species. Every living organism can be classified into a specific kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.
Let's take us humans for example:
Derived Charcteristic- a trait or characteristic that has evolved throughout a species history
Shared Characteristic-a trait of characteristic that appears in more than one species
Domain- the more recently added level of the hierarchy, higher than kingdom
Vertebrate- animals with backbones
Invertebrate- animal without backbones
To the left is a simple chart representing the Linnaean hierarchy. Kingdom, Phylum ,Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. This was Linnaeas' way of classifying organisms. At the top is Kingdom. Kingdom is the most diverse category. There are six different kingdoms, Bacteria, Archaea, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia. I will go into furthur detail with the six kingdoms at the bottom. aAt the bottom of the chart is Species. Species is the least diverse and the most specific of the levels. There are over one thousand species. Every living organism can be classified into a specific kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.
Let's take us humans for example:
The classification of human beings
This is the hierarchy of Humans. Lets start at the bottom with kingdom...
Kingdom- we belong to the kingdom, Animalia. This means that we feed on other organisms, we are multicellular, and most sexually reproduce.
Phylum- we are members of the phylum, Chordata. This means that we are vertebrates. We have backbones.
Class- humans are in the class, Mammalia. This means we are mammals. We have hair or fur, we have milk glands and we are warm blooded.
Order-we are classified in the order, Primates. As primates we have fingers and toes and collar bones.
Family- humans belong to the family, Hominidae along with Chimpanzees, Orangutans, and certain types of Gorillas.
Genus- we are members of the genus, Homo. Being classified as Homo means we have large brains and we stand in an erect posture.
Species- humans are sorted into the species, Sapiens. We have larger skulls and brains, flat foreheads, and smaller teeth.
Kingdom- we belong to the kingdom, Animalia. This means that we feed on other organisms, we are multicellular, and most sexually reproduce.
Phylum- we are members of the phylum, Chordata. This means that we are vertebrates. We have backbones.
Class- humans are in the class, Mammalia. This means we are mammals. We have hair or fur, we have milk glands and we are warm blooded.
Order-we are classified in the order, Primates. As primates we have fingers and toes and collar bones.
Family- humans belong to the family, Hominidae along with Chimpanzees, Orangutans, and certain types of Gorillas.
Genus- we are members of the genus, Homo. Being classified as Homo means we have large brains and we stand in an erect posture.
Species- humans are sorted into the species, Sapiens. We have larger skulls and brains, flat foreheads, and smaller teeth.
The six kingdoms
Kingdom 1: Plantae
multicellular
autotrophic (photosynthesis)
sessile (move but do not walk)
Kingdom 2: Animalia
mobile
heterotrophic (cannot photosynthesize)
multicellular
Kingdom 3: Protista
heterotrophic and autotrophic
saprophytic (an organism that gets its nourishment from the surrounding environment)
mostly single celled
mobile and sessile
examples: Amoeba, seaweed, mildew
Kingdom 4: Fungi
saprophytic
intermediate cells (they have cell walls but no chloroplast)
moveable nucleus
sessile
multicellular with the exception of yeast
Kingdom 5: Archaea
unicellular (no nuclei)
chemically different from bacteria
live in extreme conditions
Kingdom 6: Bacteria
unicellular
reproduce by dividing in two (mitosis)
can be colonial
multicellular
autotrophic (photosynthesis)
sessile (move but do not walk)
Kingdom 2: Animalia
mobile
heterotrophic (cannot photosynthesize)
multicellular
Kingdom 3: Protista
heterotrophic and autotrophic
saprophytic (an organism that gets its nourishment from the surrounding environment)
mostly single celled
mobile and sessile
examples: Amoeba, seaweed, mildew
Kingdom 4: Fungi
saprophytic
intermediate cells (they have cell walls but no chloroplast)
moveable nucleus
sessile
multicellular with the exception of yeast
Kingdom 5: Archaea
unicellular (no nuclei)
chemically different from bacteria
live in extreme conditions
Kingdom 6: Bacteria
unicellular
reproduce by dividing in two (mitosis)
can be colonial
The tree domains
The three domains are Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. These domains are one level higher than kingdoms on the hierarchy. Under the domain Bacteria is the kingdom Bacteria, under the domain Archaea is the kingdom Archaea, and under the domain Eukarya is Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
Domain 1: Bacteria
Kingdom 1: Bacteria
Bacteria is unicellular. Their cells have no nuclei, and they are smaller than Eukarya cells.
Domain 2: Archaea
Kingdom 1: Archaea
Archaea is unicellular and, like bacteria, its cells also have no nuclei. These organisms, however, have distinctive chemistry that enables them to live in extreme environments.
Domain 3: Eukarya
Kingdom 1: Protista
Protista organisms have nuclei and they are mostly unicellular.
Kingdom 2: Fungi
Fungus has nuclei and is mostly multicellular.
Kingdom 3 and 4: Plantae and Animalia
Plantae and Animalia both have nuclei and are mulitcellular
Domain 1: Bacteria
Kingdom 1: Bacteria
Bacteria is unicellular. Their cells have no nuclei, and they are smaller than Eukarya cells.
Domain 2: Archaea
Kingdom 1: Archaea
Archaea is unicellular and, like bacteria, its cells also have no nuclei. These organisms, however, have distinctive chemistry that enables them to live in extreme environments.
Domain 3: Eukarya
Kingdom 1: Protista
Protista organisms have nuclei and they are mostly unicellular.
Kingdom 2: Fungi
Fungus has nuclei and is mostly multicellular.
Kingdom 3 and 4: Plantae and Animalia
Plantae and Animalia both have nuclei and are mulitcellular