Biological Classification

Introduction

• Lecturer: Dr. Vaibhav Kumar Sharma
• Chapter: Biological Classification
• Welcome and technical check (sound and visibility)
• Chapter will start from zero level understanding

Importance of the Chapter

• This is an important chapter from an exam perspective
• Classifying huge diversity is a challenging task

Biological Classification

• Attempt to classify living organisms
• Classification is a multi-step process
• Taxonomy: Characterization, Identification, Classification, Nomenclature

Problems:

• Not simple, many scientists failed
• Different scientists have different approaches

Primary Attempts:

• Non-scientific classification
• Usage based (food, clothing, shelter)

Aristotle's Scientific Classification

• Plants: Herbs, Shrubs, Trees
• Animals: Enaima (red blood present), Anaima (red blood absent)

Carolus Linnaeus' Two Kingdom System

• Plantae (cell wall present), Animalia (cell wall absent)
• Problems: Prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms kept together,
• Unicellular and multicellular organisms kept together, autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms kept together

R.H. Whittaker's Five Kingdom System

• Proposed in 1969
• Criteria: Cell structure, body organization, mode of nutrition, reproduction, phylogenetic relationships
• 5 Kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

Three Domain System of Classification

• Proposed by Carl Woese
• Three domains: Archaea, Eubacteria, Eukarya
• Based on 16S ribosomal RNA sequences

Kingdom Monera

• Unicellular prokaryotic organisms
• Main bacteria
• Various shapes: Coccus, Bacillus, Spirillum, Vibrio
• Nutrition: Autotrophic (photoautotrophic, chemoautotrophic), Heterotrophic (saprophytic, parasitic)

Kingdom Protista

• Unicellular eukaryotic organisms
• Types of Protista:
  • Chrysophytes
  • Dinoflagellates
  • Euglenoids
  • Slime molds
  • Protozoans

Kingdom Fungi

• Use poster/cardboard to describe viruses
  • Main parts of the virus on the poster
  • Ask children to make parts of the virus on cards
  • Attach these parts in the correct order on the board
  • Post all together and complete the project

RNA

• Describe the structure of DNA and RNA
• Description of RNA
  • Track mutations and learn how it changes cellular machinery

Question and Answer Session

• Describe the idea of research