How does classification help us

Originally, Linnaeus couldn't distinguish between different types of organisms such as algae , lichens , fungi, mosses and ferns. The inability to examine such organisms in detail made classifying of these organisms as different species difficult at that time. As more scientific equipment became available, it allowed scientists to examine organisms in more detail and note important features, such as cell structure. This allowed more divisions in the classification system to be created.

The advancement of technology further helped to develop Linnaeus' classification system. Linnaean system of classification Living organisms are classified into groups depending on their characteristics. Kingdoms The first division of living things in the classification system is to put them into one of five kingdoms. The five kingdoms are: animals all multicellular animals plants all green plants fungi moulds, mushrooms, yeast protists Amoeba , Chlorella and Plasmodium prokaryotes bacteria, blue-green algae Further divisions Living things can then be ranked according to this set order: phylum class order family genus species Phylum follows kingdoms and has many different organisms, including three examples below: Chordata - which have backbones Arthropod - which have jointed legs and an exoskeleton Annelids - which are segmented worms Class is an additional sub-division, which, for example, results in the Chordata phylum being divided into: mammals birds amphibians fish reptiles Order follows class and, as an example, mammals can be further sub-divided into a variety of different groups such as: carnivores primates Orders are broken down into families.

Here are a few examples of families that carnivores can be divided into: Canidae - dogs Felidae - cats Genus follows on from family. Taxonomy and systematics comprise the describing, naming and classifying of plants and animals, and studying their origins and interrelationships. This type of research is essential for environmental assessments.

It forms the basic building blocks of the study of nature, and is a key science on which many others depend. Taxonomists classify all organisms into a hierarchy, and give them standardised names, that are often Latin or Greek, or derived from other languages and even people's names.

These specialised groups are collectively called the classification of living things. There are seven main levels of classification in the hierarchy. They are, from the most to the least inclusive:. Living things are placed into certain kingdoms based on how they obtain their food, the types of cells that make up their body, and the number of cells they contain.

Phylum is the next level following kingdom in the classification of living things. It is an attempt to find physical similarities among organisms within a kingdom. These physical similarities suggest that there is a common ancestry among those organisms in a particular phylum. Classes are way to further divide organisms of a phylum. The key presents a series of choices that leads the user to the identification of the organism. The series of choices is similar to a series of contrasting hypotheses that are tested by examining the organism to disprove one hypothesis and support the other.

A detailed description exists for every organism with a scientific name. The final step in any identification should be to compare the specimen to a species description. It is important to make this comparison because it is possible to misinterpret the information presented, and it is also possible that the specimen was not in the key or that the specimen is even a new, undescribed species.

If the diagnosis does not contradict what is known about the specimen, the identification is supported. For example, if the specimen was caught in water one meter deep, but the diagnosis says that the organism only lives at depths of meters or more, there may be an error in the identification. If this happens, test other hypotheses by working back through the key and trying to determine where a wrong decision was made.

Like following directions to a rural house in the country, a dichotomous key will almost always lead to a species name just as a road usually leads to a house.

But what if a wrong choice was made because a certain feature was missed, or what if the specimen is of a different or new species that shares many features with the one in the key? The best way to ensure that the organism is correctly identified is to confirm that it matches in every way with the species description. Most keys are regional, based on the animals of the place where the key was developed. Most keys also have a section that only identifies the families in the region.

This is a good place to start because families are often easier to separate and identify than individual species. It is also important to compare the final identification to a guidebook or other source in case the key did not contain the specimen in question.

The goal of biological classification is to group organisms together in terms of their relatedness to one another. There is a long-running debate within the scientific community about whether the Linnean system should be revised to better show relatedness. There are several arguments for revision:.

The phylogenetic method of classification uses shared, unique characters—heritable features that vary between individuals. In contrast, the Linnean system is focused on ranking organisms in groups. Linnean groups share similar traits, but the groups often do not reflect evolution or levels of diversity. Phylogenetics, on the other hand, is focused on showing the evolutionary relationships between organisms.

A phylogenetic tree is a branching diagram used to show the evolutionary relatedness of organisms based on similarities and differences in their characteristics Fig. The length of the branches on a phylogenetic tree represents changes in characteristics over evolutionary time. The term synapomorphy is used to describe shared, unique characteristics. Synapomorphies are present in organisms that are related through an ancestor who genetically passed the trait on to its descendants.

Organisms outside the group do not have the synapomorphy. Phylogenetic trees show groups using synapomorphies. A monophyletic group contains all of the descendants of a single common ancestor—an ancestor shared by two or more descendent lineages. In many cases, the common ancestor is unknown. For example, all members in the primate infraorder Simiiformes shown in yellow in Fig. That means the relationship of all of the primates in this group is supported by synapomorphies.

The more synapomorphies two species have in common, the more closely related they are hypothesized to be. Sometimes scientists misinterpret groups as being monophyletic when they are not. A character that appears unique might evolve more than once in different groups, or it may be lost or reversed within a group. Homoplasies are similar characteristics, like the wings of birds and bats, that do not reflect relatedness.

Bird wings and bat wings are not related because they evolved from different genetic origins, even if both types of wings serve the function of flight. Behaviors can also be used to classify organisms, and, like other traits, can be the result of a synapomorphy or homoplasy.

For example, the night-active primates, Lorises and Tarsiers, are not grouped together in Fig. This is because their night-time behavior is not a synapomorphy a shared derived character. In order for Lorises and Tarsiers to be included in the same monophyletic group, the group would need to be expanded to include lemurs with the tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and their last common ancestor black dot.

As we learn more about genetics, and evolution, it is important to continue to explore and reassess relationships between organisms. Ideas about relationships need to be re-evaluated as discoveries are made and new information is found. Advances in biotechnology now allow scientists to use molecular characteristics to organize organisms.

Molecular phylogenies are made by examining the differences in the DNA sequence of the organisms being compared. There are many genetic similarities between organisms. For example, human and mouse genes have a similarity of about 85 percent, and human and chimpanzee genes have about 96 percent similarity. For this reason, it is easier to study differences in genetics rather than similarities.

For scientists to gain information about relationships between widely diverse species like those from different domains or kingdoms they use genes that are similar. Conserved genes are genes that have not changed much over evolutionary time. Gene conservation usually occurs in functionally important genes because these types of genes are needed to assemble proteins essential to survival.

Coding regions are segments of DNA that are translated to RNA and are important for the function of a gene or gene product. Note in Fig. The conserved parts of the 16S rRNA gene are the places that provide information about the relationships between the organisms being compared Fig. In this case, E. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Essay How does classification help us in our daily life?

Ben Davis May 8, How does classification help us in our daily life? Why is classification an important life skill? What are the characteristics of an ideal classification? What are the basis of classification of living organisms? What are the characteristics of living thing? What are the 3 types of living things? What are the two main groups of living things? What are the 4 groups of living things?