Why scientist classify organisms

First, it can allow us to identify evolutionary links. Next it can help us to identify known Organisms from their characteristics. Finally it can help us to predict which characteristics an organism will possess, based on the characteristics of the other organisms in its class.

Slide 4 The first reason why scientists use classification is that it helps them to identify evolutionary links between past and present organisms. Species classified into the same group often share characteristics which they have inherited from a common ancestor.

Scientists can thus use the characteristics of organisms to predict evolutionary links between them. Early classification systems only used the physical appearances of organisms to classify them.

Today, scientists look more deeply to find the reasons for these characteristics before assigning them to groups. Organisms in the same group are likely to share characteristics because they have evolved from a common ancestor.

For example, chickens are believed to have evolved from dinosaurs similar to the tyrannosaurus rex because they share a number of characteristics such as hollow bones, air sacs and a configuration of wrist bones with them. The characteristics of organisms can be used to predict the evolutionary link.

The example on the right shows that some reptiles evolved from a common ancestor as certain species of fish. Click Classification also shows that Humans and chimpanzees have evolved from the same common ancestor. Note: humans did not directly evolve form chimpanzees, but they shared a common ancestor about 6. These evolutionary theories are based on the classification of organisms, and are illustrated in a type of evolutionary tree called a cladogram.

Slide 5 Scientists also use classification to identify organisms. This helps them to organize and streamline their studies of different species. Each of these cats on the right lives in a different environment, and looks different, but the bottom two belong to the same species.

The top one belongs to a different species. If scientists know, for example, that the cat on the top right belongs to a species that eats small mammals, lizards, birds, eggs, invertebrates, and the occasional tree frog, they will not waste time trying to work Out what its diet is like.

Suppose you were walking in the bush, and saw a pretty parrot. In order to understand the parrot, its habitat, its Diet and its behavior it would be useful to identify it. Classification helps us to do precisely that. However, parrots all belong to the order Psittaciformes, so all of the parrots shown below share some characteristics, and hence some biological properties.

This classification helps us to streamline our study of parrots as it helps us to identify and understand some basic characteristics that are common to all parrots.

Slide 6 Another reason to classify organisms is so that we can predict what their characteristics might be. If several members of a group share the same characteristics, we can predict that the remaining members might also share these characteristics. For example the birds in the picture on the right share several characteristics: their bone structure is similar, they all have feathers, they all have hollow bones, they can all Fly and so on.

Click The cow and the buffalo shown also have many biological characteristics in common. Slide 7 Classification has many different benefits for scientists. Buildings, table, chair, curtains, etc are man-made things.

They are also non-living things. Non-livings things do not exhibit any characteristics of life. They do not grow, respire, need energy, move, reproduce, evolve, or maintain homeostasis.

These things are made up of non-living materials. Some examples of non-living things are stones, paper, electronic goods, books, buildings, and automobiles.

Pasta does not have any cells, no cellular functions, no growth, cannot reproduce, and no response to stimuli. Is it living or non-living? Because pasta does not show any movement, growth, use of energy, stimuli response, reproduction, or cells, it is not considered a living organism. An organism is an individual living thing. Many living things interact with other organisms in their environment.

Organisms of the same species that live in the same area make up a population. For example, all of the goldfish living in the same area make up a goldfish population.