AP Biology/Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the naming system by which all organisms are classified. As there are millions of species on earth, this naming system allows scientists to give each species a unique name. Binomial nomenclature, or naming using two names, was developed by Carolus Linnaeus in 1735. This consists of the genus followed by the species (Homo sapiens is human, for example).

Classification

Complete classification of an organism involves seven names, proceeding in this order:

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

Kingdoms

There are five kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia. All organisms are classified into one of these five kingdoms, except for viruses.

Monera

Monera consists of organisms composed of prokaryotic cells. This kingdom contains only two phyla:

Schizopyta" - bacteria(Archaebacteria and Eubacteria)
Cyanophyta - blue-green algae

Protista

Protista consists of the eukaryotic cellular organisms that cannot be classified into any of the other eukaryotic kingdoms. There are animal-like protists (Protazoa), plant-like protists (Algae), and fungi-like protists.

Fungi

Fungi consists of multicellular eukaryotes that absorb their energy and reproduce asexually through spores. There are two phyla in the Fungi kingdom: Myxomycophyta (slime molds) and Eumycophyta (true fungi: molds, yeast, mushrooms, etc.).

Plantae

Plantae consists of multicellular plants. Major phyla of this kingdom are:

Chlorophyta - green algae
Bryophyta - mosses, liverworts, hornworts
Pterophyta - ferns
Coniferophyta - conifers
Anthophyta - flowering plants

Animalia

Animalia consists of multicellular animals. Major phyla of this kingdom are:

Porifera - sponges
Chordata - vertebrates
Cnidaria
Platyhelminthes
Nematoda
Annelida
Mollusca
Arthropoda
Echinodermata