Science Ahead Warning! Much like Dr. Sheldon Cooper and his friends, the staff of MOSI Outside are dedicated geeks. We love entomology and etymology, zoology and botany and the curious naming conventions of all living things. Thus, in our geekery, we wish to give the gift of a taxonomic explanation series that we shall call: Fun with Taxonomy.
We're awfully fun at parties.
In an attempt to protect all brains from accidental science content, we will helpfully label all posts in this series with a tree of life image. When you see this tree, mentally prepare yourself for science content, terms with which you may not be familiar, and possibly a few history lessons. Get yourself a cup of tea and dive into some science. Now, let's have some Fun with Taxonomy!
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| Carl Linneaus on his expidition to Lapland painted by Martin Hoffman 1737 |
Taxonomy: What is it?
Scientists use a system called taxonomy to classify living things according to similarities and common ancestry. The word taxonomy comes from the Greek words taxis (meaning 'order' or 'arrangement') and nomos ('law' or 'science').Modern taxonomy was born from the work of Carolus Linnaeus(1707-1778) who began the task of classifying living things based on similar characteristics. Linnaeus also laid the groundwork for the system of binomial nomenclature or 'Latin name' which utilizes a genus and specific name or epithet to create a full scientific name for a creature. Binomial nomenclature gets us around the sticky problems of one species having many common names by providing a scientific term by which we will always know which species is being referenced.
Modern taxonomy has been greatly expanded from the days of Linnaeus and now uses DNA universal common descent. Upon this theory is built our modern tree classification system that traces back individual species through increasingly larger groups that return to a single common ancestor now believed to have lived some 3.9 million years ago.
Taxonomic Ranks: How to File Living Things
The main taxonomic ranks of biological classification start with the most broad definitions and become increasingly specific as you work your way down to a particular species. We begin with: Is a thing alive? If yes, then continue with your ranking.
Domain
The next rank is Domain, and all life is filed into one of three domains: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.
- Archaea and Bacteria are composed of Prokaryotes: single celled organisms that do not have a membrane bound nucleus.
- Eukarya is composed of all life with a membrane bound nucleus. This includes plants, insects, people and pretty much every plant and animal that you can imagine.
Kingdom
Next, we have Kingdoms. In the days of Linnaeus, there were only two recognized Kingdoms. Science goes back and forth on the number of Kingdom classifications, but we will look at the five best recognized:
- Monarans: Bacteria. This is sometimes broken into two kingdoms Archaebacteria which live in extremes like boiling hot water and Eubacteria which is all the rest of the bacteria.
- Protists: Algae, slime molds, protozoa
- Fungi: Mushrooms, mold and mildews
- Plant: Trees, flowers, mosses etc
- Animal: Snails, horses, butterflies, humans, armadillo
Phylum
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| Image by BioBook. Click photo for link to original page. |
- Chordate: Anything with a backbone- Fish, Reptiles, Birds, Amphibians, and Mammals
- Mollusk: Soft bodied animals that sometimes have shells- snails, oysters, octopus
- Arthropod: Jointed leg animals with exoskeletons- Insects, Arachnids, and Crustaceans
- Annelid: Segmented worms- earthworms and leeches
Class
After Phylum, the next rank is Class. As we move downward in each rank, the number of organisms in each group decreases and the classifications become more specific. If we look specifically at the Classes of Phylum Arthropoda, or the arthropods, the classification begins to take shape into manageable groups with similar structures. For example, within Class Insecta, we have creatures that have a head, abdomen and thorax, three pairs of jointed legs, antenna and an exoskeleton. Here are a few Classes that are found within the Arthropod Phylum:
- Arachnida: Spiders, scorpions
- Insecta: Butterflies beetles, bees
- Diplopoda: Millipedes
- Malacostraca: Lobsters, crabs, shrimp, etc.
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| Ernst Haeckel's Tree of Life |
The next level of taxonomic classification is Order. At this level the Insect Class is broken out into
groups of insects that have even more similar characteristics. The Order Lepidoptera contains all scaled winged insects, so all moths and butterflies fall under that classification. Here are a few examples of Order in the Class Insecta.
groups of insects that have even more similar characteristics. The Order Lepidoptera contains all scaled winged insects, so all moths and butterflies fall under that classification. Here are a few examples of Order in the Class Insecta.
- Coleoptera: Beetles
- Diptera: Flies
- Hymenoptera: Bees, Wasps, Ants
- Lepidoptera: Moths and Butterflies
- Odonata: Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
At the rank of Family, the organisms that are grouped together are further narrowed down. At this point, organisms contained in a Family start to become recognizably similar. Botanical families all end with the suffix "-aceae" and zoological families all end with the suffix "-idae".
At the rank of Family, the organisms that are grouped together are further narrowed down. At this point, organisms contained in a Family start to become recognizably similar. Botanical families all end with the suffix "-aceae" and zoological families all end with the suffix "-idae".
- Fabaceae: Legumes (beans, peanuts, etc)
- Nymphalidae: Brush footed butterflies
- Felidae: Cats from house cats to lions
Genus
The classification rank of Genus is used to denote a closely related group or organisms, sometimes ones that are capable of interbreeding to create a hybrid. At the genus level, organisms often have many similarities in appearance, behavior or food.
The classification rank of Genus is used to denote a closely related group or organisms, sometimes ones that are capable of interbreeding to create a hybrid. At the genus level, organisms often have many similarities in appearance, behavior or food.
- Battus: Butterflies in this genus host on plants in the Aristolochia (Pipevine) family.
- Felis: Small and medium sized cats, both domestic and wild.
- Passiflora: Passion vines
- Aristolochia: Pipevines
Species
The taxonomic rank of Species is generally used to denote some key descriptive quality of the
organism being named. The specific epithet can also be used to identify the name of the person who discovered the organism, a location, or as a dedication made by the discoverer or the name giver of the organism.
The taxonomic rank of Species is generally used to denote some key descriptive quality of the
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| Title page of Systema Naturae bu Carl Linnaeus |
- Sophora tomentosa: tomentosa comes from the Latin work tomentose, which means "covered in fine hairs"
- Hydrangea quercifolia: Quercifolia comes from the Latin words quercus "oak", and folium "leaf"
- Tillandsia bartramii: Bartram's Airplant is named for the naturalist William Bartram who traveled the North American southeast, including parts of Florida, and first described many plant and animal species.
Lastly, A Unique Name
At the end of all this classification we come to the binomial name which combines the Genus and Species to provide a unique name for each plant, animal, fungus or bacteria. Binomial nomenclature was developed by Carl Linneaus and is still very much used by science but it has changed since its founder's day. Each year, plants and animals get shuffled around on the Scientific Tree of Life as science learns more about various plants, animals, bacteria and more.
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