C a p t i o n e d M e d i a P r o g r a m

VOICE (800) 237-6213 TTY (800) 237-6819 FAX (800) 538-5636 E-MAIL info@cfv.org WEB www.cfv.org

#10467
THE CLASSIFICATION
OF LIVING THINGS
HUMAN RELATIONS MEDIA, INC., 2003
Grade Level: 5-10
20 Minutes
22 Instructional Graphics Included

CAPTIONED MEDIA PROGRAM RELATED RESOURCES

#9360 PROTISTS
#9470 VIRUSES AND MONERAN

Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education
 EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER
Anson W. Schloat

PRODUCER
Cochran Communications

VIDEO SCRIPT
WRITER
Peter Cochran

TEACHER'S
R E S O U R C E BOOK
B. Ellen Friedman, Ph.D.
E. Friedman Consulting

Copyright 2003
Human Relations Media, Inc.
Introduction
Learning Objectives
Program Summary
National Science Education Content Standards
Teaching Strategies
Activity Notes

1. Key Concepts
2. Invent Your Own Classification Scheme
3. Biological Classification
4. Technology and Classification
5. Evolution and Classification
6. Cell Structure
7. The Five Kingdoms
8. Fungi
9. Hierarchy
10. Genus and Species
11. Dinosaurs
12. What's in a Name?
13. Building the Hierarchy from the Top Down
14. Building the Taxonomy for Humans
15. Hyrax and Elephant
16. Scientific versus Common Names
17. Endospores
18. Domains
19. Comparisons of Biological Relationships
20. Extinction
2 1. Connections: Evolution of Immunity
22. Virtual Field Trip

1. Glossary of Terms 37
2. Suggested Reading 39
3. Internet Resources 40
Other Biology Programs from Human Relations Media 41
What makes a fish be a fish? Why is a sunflower a sunflower and not a rose? Bats and birds
and dragonflies all take to the air, but they are in very different classification groups. Why?

Biological classification is a complex but fundamental part of the study of living things-and
it can be exciting. It reveals the history of life on Earth by acknowledging the evolutionary
relationships between different species. It is a story that continues to be written as new
evidence makes our account more accurate. Building a meaningful biological classification
system requires a lot of knowledge of biology and its basic concepts. Using a classification
system can be an effective way to teach many of those concepts.

What ideas does the word "classification" conjure for you and your students? All too often,
people connect classification with a task of memorizing a list of names, but this is
misleading. The science of biological classification is an active area of research, and the
names are much more than just an arbitrary list. Instead, they are labels that tell us about the
unique characteristics of an organism. The labels also show how an organism is related to
other species, and its path of descent from ancient ancestors. That is one reason that
classification assignments continue to change. As we know more, we can do a better job of
grouping organisms in a meaningful way.

New technologies continue to expand and modify our classification system. For example,
DNA technology has provided valuable data for testing and correlating assumptions about
relationships that are built on structural or physiological data. The changes in biological
classification help to make the scheme become a more accurate description of evolutionary
relationships. The classification scheme is a human-based system to organize what we know
about a set of real relationships. As species continue to evolve, even the relationships
change-but at a very slow rate.

Students need to understand classification more than to memorize dozens of labels and
names. No one can hold all this knowledge in their head-indeed, it is even difficult to
record it in print or online for all organisms. Students must start by understanding the
significance of classification, learning a few examples so that they have something to work
with, and being aware of the ongoing process of research in classification and taxonomy.

How can you make this topic appealing for students? The video program The Classification
of Living Things brings to life the topic of classification for your students. Colorful images
catch their attention. The narrative line opens the idea of classification as a meaningful
scientific investigation. Students begin to see the structure of the system overall. They begin
to see that scientific names tell them something about the organism in question. With the
help of the video and teaching guide exercises, students will come to understand the meaning
behind the biological classification system. You can use this program to wake up student
interest in the topic and to provide a lively but solid foundation of understanding.
After viewing the video program The Classification of Living Things and using the student
worksheets and exercises in this Teacher's Resource Book, your students should be able to:

describe the significance of biological classification

be aware that taxonomic distinctions reflect evolution

explain the criteria on which classifications are based

recognize genus and species names

report on the five biological kingdoms

diagram the relationship between the five kingdoms and the

larger taxa known as domains

provide examples of taxonomic groups

understand how new technologies and discoveries change our

view of classification

carry out a classification exercise

A fast-paced visual collage of living things provides an enticing entry into the program The
Classification of Living Things. This rich array of biological images reflects the enormously
diverse world of living things and the enormous task of identifying and organizing them for
study. Students immediately see the challenge of meaningful organization in an opening
story that takes place in a grocery store. In this particular store, items have been arranged at
random. Right away, students have a familiar example that connects to their own experience:
they can easily relate to how difficult a shopping task would be if grocery stock were not
arranged in a logical way.

From this familiar starting point, the video goes on to show how much greater the problem is
of arranging biological information about species. The numbers are daunting, although only
a small fraction of all species that ever lived are alive today. The diversity of life on Earth is
so great that it is hard to organize according to fundamental biological principles (such as
evolution). But the result is worth the effort: classification makes the collected body of
biological information usable.

An interview with taxonomist Kathy Hodge of Cornell University explains that the label for
each level of the classification hierarchy tells you a great deal about the organism. For
example, if you know something is a mammal, you already know that it is an animal with a
backbone, with hair or fur and that it probably feeds its young with milk.

Dr. Hodge goes on to illuminate how our ways to classify the living world have changed over
the course of human history. Increased knowledge and understanding have brought about
many changes. New tools and technologies also have brought about new versions of
classification. For example, the microscope revealed a world of tiny organisms previously
unknown. These had to be fit into the classification scheme-or more accurately, the
classification scheme had to be altered to account for this discovery of new data. Other tools,
such as DNA analysis technologies, continue to improve and adjust biological classification.

The largest change in classification came with an understanding of evolution. All living
things are descended from common ancestors, and biological classification reflects that
relationship. Other changes include the distinction between organisms based on their cell
structure. Prokaryotes such as bacteria have simple cells that lack an internal compartment
known as a nucleus. More complex cells with a nucleus are called eukaryotic cells. Even
some microscopic or single-celled organisms are eukaryotes. This large division among
living things is one of the most fundamental aspects of classification.

Another step in the history of classification came in the 1950s as scientists recognized that
fungi are fundamentally different from plants. The main differences have to do with how
organisms in each group get food. While plants carry out photosynthesis, fungi get food
from the remains of other organisms.
The program moves forward with the introduction of the five kingdoms. Students begin to
see how each level of the classification system together form a hierarchy of groups known as
taxa. Students learn to follow through the levels from most general (kingdom) through
phylum, class, order, family, genus and on to the species. The video explains that these
differences, even at the species level, generally are represented by a barrier to breeding. A
specific example of the common house cat (Felis domesticus) is used to show the levels of
classification. Students also discover that extinct organisms are part of the classification
scheme. They provide clues to modern relationships.

Students begin to see that species with similar evolutionary histories belong together in a
classification group or taxon. Darwin's impact on meaningful classification is enormous.
Students see that change is a strength in the process of scientific investigations. Discoveries,
such as finding archaebacteria in extreme habitats, improve the quality of classification
assignments. As more data are found, the classification system changes and thus becomes
more accurate.

One modern change is the consideration of a large-scale division above that of the five
kingdoms. This large-scale division would be three domains. Two of the three (bacteria and
archaea) would comprise prokaryotes, while the third contains all eukaryotes. Showing this
example helps students appreciate that classification is an active and ever-changing
investigation rather than a static list of names. The changes are not whimsical: they are
adjustments to fine-tune the system to better reflect the meaningful connections between
species.
The topic of biological classification is one of the concepts recommended by the National
Science Education Content Standards for biology. The CZass$cation ofLiving Things can
be used effectively to bring these concepts to life for your students. For details, you may
want to consult a print copy of the standards or look online at:

http://~~~.nap.edu/readin~room/books/nses/html/6e.html
Life Sciences Content Standard C

Some examples of the concepts supported by the video are summarized here:

Biological Evolution
The great diversity of organisms covers the Earth and is the result of more than 3.5 billion
years of change as modern organisms evolved from common ancestors. Natural selection is
part of the mechanism that has led to diversity. Biological classification not only provides an
orderly way to organize and think about the many species that live or have lived on Earth, but
it also reflects the evolutionary relationships among species. The biological taxa are
arranged in a hierarchy that shows these relationships.
How does The Classification of Living Things fit into your course syllabus?

You can use the video and student exercises effectively in several different points in your
biology course. Classification can fit with a study of evolution, as an introduction to the
study of the different kingdoms, or as an application of scientific methods of observation,
careful organization of data, and consistent thinking. Classification also is a topic that goes
hand-in-hand with the study of diversity, of differences in the food web or with the ancient
history of life on Earth.

Preview Questions

We suggest that you establish a foundation for thinking by using these preview questions or
by letting students look over some of the worksheets prior to viewing the video. In either
case, the purpose is to focus your students' thinking, not to look for complete or correct
answers at this point.

Suggested preview questions:

P What is the difference between a common name such as "cat,"

and a scientific name such as Felis domesticus?

9 What is the connection between classification and evolution?

P How many organisms need to be classified?

Use these questions to arouse curiosity prior to showing the video and to get students
thinking along specific lines. The questions let you find out what pre-conceptions students
may have. Use them in this way rather than to insist on getting a complete answer before
students have viewed the video or worked the exercises. You may want to re-visit the
questions after students complete work on the program.

The ideas behind the preview questions are to help students think about the uncertainty of a
common name as compared with the precise relationships revealed by the scientific name.
Evolution is a major concept of biology and an underlying principle in biological taxonomy.
Groupings reflect relative degrees of evolutionary relatedness. The number of organisms to
be classified is staggering. Estimates vary from a few to about eight or nine million more.
Around 1.5 million organisms have been identified.
Activity 1: Key Concepts
Briefly deJine these terms:
taxa (plural of taxon): Organisms grouped together at one classification level.
classification: Organization of things into a system.
evolution: Long-term change in a biological system such as species that is inherited.
extinction: Disappearance of a species.

Activity 2: Invent Your Own Classification Scheme

Name three ways you could arrange items in a grocery store. Make a chart with two columns
labeled "Advantage" and "Disadvantage." For each classijication system you have invented,
describe the advantages and disadvantages. Which system do you think customers wouldprejer?
Student responses will vary. They might write something like "by color," "by alphabetical
listing of name," or "by nutritional group." Example of Disadvantage: color might be hard if
people are color blind; people might find it difficult to select things for a dinner; items that are
used for similar purpose have different colors. Advantage: color is a simple distinction; most
people can see different colors; color has a strong emotional connection for some people.
The process of choosing criteria, thinking about them critically and assessing the system in a
logical and consistent manner are the things being tested here.

Activity 3: Biological Classification

Name two ways in addition to the current scientijk system that organisms on Earth could he
classiJied. For all three ways (the two you invented and the actual system), make a chart to
list advantages and disadvantages.
Student responses will vary. They might include "alphabetically" or "by geographical
region." Again, the process of assessing a system is more important than the particular
system itself. For actual biological classification system, disadvantages might include
difficulty with determining actual evolutionary relationships. Advantages could include the
current naming system which tells us much about the organisms and the fact that the
classification scheme has a biologically meaningful basis.

Activity 4: Technology and Classification

Name two technologies mentioned in the video that have expanded and changed our views of
biological classzjication. Explain how each one has enhanced our understanding of biological
classzfication.
Students should answer (1) microscope and (2) DNA technologies, and provide their own
explanations of how these technologies have enhanced the current view of classification.
Activity 5: Evolution and Classification
How is evolution tied to biological classification?
Modern biological classification is based on characteristics shared organisms descended from
a relatively recent common ancestor. In other words, current schemes reflect the relative
degree of evolutionary relatedness.

Activity 6: Cell Structure

Into what two groups can all organisms be divided based on their cell structure? Draw a
diagram of each type of cell. Label key features.
Prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Diagrams should show that students understand that cells are
membrane bound compartments. Diagram of prokaryote should show a DNA molecule as
the genetic material (could be just a dark coil). Some students might show special features
such as a flagellum. Eukaryote diagram should show the internal compartment known as a
nucleus. Some students may also include mitochondria, chloroplasts or other features.

Activity 7: The Five Kingdoms

Name theJive kingdoms. How many of the kingdoms are prokaryotes? Explain.
Animals (Animalia), Plants (Plantae), Fungi, Protista and Monera. All but the Monera are
eukaryotes. The Monera are prokaryotes.

Activity 8: Fungi
To what kingdom did fungi originally belong? Why are they now considered to be a separate
kingdom?
Fungi were originally included with plants. The video points out that their different way to
obtain food (from organic material from living or dead organisms) sets them apart from
photosynthetic plants.

Activity 9: Hierarchy
What is meant by the term "hierarchy?" How does this term apply to biological classzjkation?
Hierarchy refers to organization system in which groups are nested in each level. Higher
levels are the most general and contain a collection of groups and so on down each level to
the most specific. Biological classification is a hierarchy from general groups (such as
domains) down to specific groups (genus and species).
Activity 10: Genus and Species
Which statement shows a closer relationship: ( I ) Organism A and Organism B belong to the
same genus. (2) Organism A and Organism C belong to the same species.
Two members of the same species are more closely related than two members of the same
genus. A species is a lower level taxon.
Does Organism C belong to the same genus as Organism B or to a different one? Explain.
Organism C does belong to the same genus as Organism B, because species is the next level
below genus. So all members of one species belong to the same genus. A branched line or
overlapping circle diagram might help students express this idea.

Activity 11 : Dinosaurs
Are dinosaurs considered as part o f the system of biological classi$cation even though they
are extinct? Explain your answer, giving spec@ examples. You may want to expand what
you learned in the video to include outside material.
Extinct organisms are part of the evolutionary history of life on Earth and thus are included
in the classification scheme. Understanding the relationships among ancestors of modem
species helps students understand relationships of organisms living today. Specific examples
from students will vary. Remind them to name their sources of information.

An excellent ScientiJic American article called "Rulers of the Jurassic Seas" by Ryosuke
Motani (December 2000, p. 52) has a very good, simple diagram on page 54 that might help
students see the connection between prehistoric and extinct creatures including dinosaurs and
modern organisms.

Activity 12: What's in a Name?

What does a scientiJic name tell you about an organism? For example, ifyou know that a
particular animal is a mammal, what characteristics would you predict it would have?
Answers will vary. Students might include some of these comments: The animal would
likely feed their young with milk, give live birth, have hair or fur, have a spinal cord and
vertebrae, have a relatively well developed brain. The animal would have eukaryotic cells,
like all animals and mammals.
What taxonomic groups could you exclude?
Answers will vary. The organism is not any species of plant, fungus, nor a protist. The
organism is not any prokaryote. The organism is not an invertebrate animal, nor is it a bird,
or insect.
Activity 13: Building the Hierarchy from the Top Down
Here is a list oftaxonomic labels given to you in alphabetical order. Put these tuxonomic
labels in the order they occur in a biological hierarchy from the most general to the most
speczjic. Then add the correct word for the plural in each case.
Correct sequence is: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Plurals are
Kingdoms, Phyla, Classes, Orders, Families, Genus, Species.

Activity 14: Building the Taxonomy for Humans

Using the list you made in sequence in Activity 13,Jill in the information at each level for
your own species, humans. You will need to consult outside resources.
Kingdom: Animals (Animalia); Phylum: Chordates (Chordata); Class: Mammals
(Mammalia); Order: Primates; Family: Hominids (Hominidae); Genus: Homo; Species:
Homo supiens.

Activity 15: Hyrax and Elephant

An ongoing area of research in classiJication is tofigure out what species are the closest
living relatives ofthe elephants. There are two species of elephant, African and Asian.
African elephants are classzjied as Loxodonta Africana. For many years, many scientists
have concluded that the nearest living relatives to African elephants are the six species of
hyrax, such us the rock hyrax or Procavia capensis.
An elephant is a mammal. What characteristics would you expect a hyrax to share with the
elephant as another mammal?
Among the shared characteristics would be to have hair or fur, a vertebral backbone and
spinal cord, give birth to live young, nurture young with milk, be warm blooded.
What prehistoric and now extinct species is also a close relative of an elephant? Mastodon

Activity 16: Scientific versus Common Names

A day lily, a mariposa tulip, and an Easter lily all have some connection to the word "lily."
Do these names tell you how closely related these plants are? Explain.
The two sound especially close because of the word "lily" but because these are common
names, they are not reliable.
What is the value of a scientiJic name?
A scientific name, such as the two-part name system worked out by Linnaeus with genus and
species, is a consistent tag that tells you if you are referring to the same species as someone
else. In addition, the genus name tells you a lot about the characteristics and near relatives.
Use outside sources (including online sources) toJind more information about these plants
that share a common name of "lily. " Ifpossible, look at images of each one, making a
sketch for comparison. Explain why they may have similar names.
Flower shapes are similar for day lilies and Easter lilies. All are monocots.
Locate the scientzjk name ofeach one.
Day lilies are a variety of species in the genus Hemerocallis. Mariposa tulip refers to a
variety of species in the genus Calochortus, such as Calochortus splendens. Easter lily is a
"true" lily called Lilium longzjlorum.
Describe how closely related they are.
All three are in the Lily Family, Liliaceae, as are tulips, garlics, and onions. There are 250
genera in the Lily Family.
What is the connection to the word "lily?"
Scientifically the connection is that all are in the Lily Family. But not all are "true lilies" or
Lilium genus.
Do you think "lily" is an appropriate name?
This question asks for an opinion; answers will vary. Lily is somewhat appropriate because
all are in the Lily Family. But the name lily also is misleading, making it sound like these
flowers are more closely related than is true. All three are in different genera. Note also that
the Mariposa tulip is sometimes is called a Mariposa lily.

Activity 17: Endospores

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that onJirst glance may seem to all be alike. HOWcan
they be classified? List some features or behaviors that could be used to distinguish different
species of bacteria. (You will need to extend what you learned in the video and apply it to this
new example.)
Answers will vary. Students may suggest that bacteria are distinguished by cell shape (rod,
sphere or spiral), by metabolism (photosynthetic; heterotrophic) whether or not they live in
presence of oxygen (aerobic or anaerobic) and what special structures they have or produce
(flagella; toxins; endospores). The living conditions in which they thrive also offer a hint to
how related different species are.
Some bacteria produce endospores for survival. These include Bacillus antltracis that cause
the disease known as anthrax, Clostridium tetanii that cause tetanus, and Clostridium
botulinum that can result in a potentially fatal kind of food poisoning known as botulism.
(The botox treatment to relax wrinkles in facial muscles uses a toxin produced by
Clostridium botulinum.)
Research the characteristics that are shared by these three species of bacteria. How are they
grouped taxonomically? How do they compare to Streptococcus, the bacteria that causes
serious sore throats?
The Bacillus and Clostridium species are more closely related than any is to the Streptococcus
bacteria. The latter is a spherical shape and is Gram negative. The others are Gram positive
rods. The Bacillus and Clostridium species grow in soil, become endospores when conditions
are too harsh, and they produce a dangerous toxin. However they are in different genera. The
Bacillus anthracis can grow in the presence of oxygen, while Clostridium species are anaerobic.

Activity 18: Domains

The video described new information about a group ofprokaryotes known as archaebacteria
(archaea). What unusual characteristics do they have?
They are very ancient; they are found in extreme environments with great heat or salt.
There is a trend to organize biological taxa into three high level groups called Domains
What three domains did the video mention? Indicate for each ifthey are eukaryotes or
prokaryotes.
Archaea, True Bacteria (Eubacteria) and Eukarya. Only the Eukarya are eukaryotes. The
others are prokaryotes.
What is the connection between the Jive Kingdoms and the three Domains? Draw a diagram
below to show the relationships.
The five Kingdoms is an older classification system. The three domains system recognizes
that prokaryotes vary a lot, so it divides this group (once considered to be a single kingdom)
into two large domains and groups all the eukaryotic kingdoms into a single domain.

Activity 20: Extinction

How do classzjkation systems build a bridge between current organisms and extinct species?
They show how extinct species were related to existing species, and thus provide a history
for life on Earth.
What types of things could cause modern species to become extinct?
Severe changes in climate; overuse or distribution of water by humans; loss of habitat;
invasion by new predators or, more likely, new parasites.
Activity 21: Connections: Evolution of Immunity
You may also find the following article interesting: "Sharks and the Origins of Vertebrate
Immunity" by Gary W. Litman in Scientific American Vol. 275 (5) November 1996, p. 67.
From the title, what connection is there to the human immune system?
Ancient species show a connection to aspects of the human immune system.
A quote from that article on p. 67 reads, "Although the placoderms and their ancestors are
long gone, we do have the next best thing: several of theirphylogenetic relations, including
sharks, skates, rays and ratfishes. " Why might it be an advantage to know about modern
organisms that are close relatives to an extinct species of interest?
This connection provides clues about how organisms have evolved, about the selective
pressures that were at work, and about how organisms interacted.

Activity 22: Virtual Field Trip

Visit the Monterey Aquarium website and investigate these three species: (1) Penguins, (2)
Whales, (3) Sea Otters. All three live in salt water for all or much of their lives. They all
are streamlined for moving easily through water. How closely related are they?
Despite living in similar environments, these organisms have some large evolutionary
differences. The otter is a mammal, the penguin is a bird (although also an animal and a
vertebrate and the whale is a mammal although it looks like a fish). So the bird is the least
closely related.
This page is left blank intentionally.
 STUDENT
ACTIVITIES
 Name:

Briefly define these terms:

taxa:

classification:

evolution:

extinction:
 Name:

Name three ways you could arrange items in a grocery store. Use the chart below, with its
columns labeled "Advantages" and "Disadvantages" or make your own chart on a separate
sheet of paper. For each classification system you have invented, describe the advantages
and disadvantages. Which system do you think customers would prefer?
Classification System #1:

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Classification System #2:

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Classification System #3:

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

HUMANRELATIONS
MEDIA rn THECLASSIFICATION THINGS
OF LIVING
 Name:

Name two ways in addition to the current scientific system that organisms on Earth could be
classified. For all three ways (the two you invented and the actual system), make a chart to
list advantages and disadvantages.
 Name:

Name two technologies mentioned in the video that have expanded and changed our views
of biological classification. Explain how each one has enhanced our understanding of
biological classification.

TECHNOLOGY 1:

TECHNOLOGY 2:
 Name:
I EVOLUTION I
AND CLASSIFICATION

How is evolution tied to biological classification?

 Name: -

Into what two groups can all organisms be divided based on their cell structure? Draw a
diagram of each type of cell. Label key features.

Draw your diagram here:

 Name:

Name the five kingdoms.

How many of the kingdoms are prokaryotes? Explain.

To what kingdom did fungi originally belong? Why are they now considered to be a separate
kingdom?
 Name:

What is meant by the term "hierarchy?" How does this term apply to biological classification?
 Name:

Which statement shows a closer relationship:

k Organism A and Organism B belong to the same genus.

k Organism A and Organism C belong to the same species.

Does Organism C belong to the same genus as Organism B or to a different one? Explain.
 Name:

Are dinosaurs considered as part of the system of biological classification even though they
are extinct? Explain your answer, giving specific examples. You may want to expand what
you learned in the video to include outside material.
 Name:

What does a scientific name tell you about an organism? For example, if you know that a
particular animal is a mammal, what characteristics would you predict it would have?

What taxonomic groups could you exclude?

 Name:

1 BUILDING
T H E HIERARCHY
FROM THE TOPDOWN

Below is a list of taxonomic labels in alphabetical order. Put these taxonomic labels in the
order they occur in a biological hierarchy from the most general to the most specific. Then
add the correct word for the plural in each case.

Class
Family
Genus
Kingdom
Order
Phylum
Species

Biological Hierarchy Plural

 Name:
THE TAXONOMY
BUILDING
FOR HUMANS

Using the biological hierarchy list you made in sequence in Activity 13, fill in the information
at each level for your own species, humans. You will need to consult outside resources.

Biological Hierarchy Human Taxonomy

 Name:
HYRAXAND ELEPHANT

PART 1:
An ongoing area of research in classification is to figure out what species are the closest
living relatives of the elephants. There are two species of elephant, African and Asian.
African elephants are classified as Loxodonta Africans. For many years, many scientists
have concluded that the nearest living relatives to African elephants are the six species of
hyrax, such as the rock hyrax or Procavia capensis.

An elephant is a mammal. What characteristics would you expect a hyrax to share with the
elephant as another mammal?

PART 2:
Consult outside sources to find the evidence that these species may be part of the same
Superorder, known as "Paenungulates." Be certain to give references for your sources of
information. Include the following in your report:

P description of African elephants

P description of Asian elephants
P description of at least one species of hyrax
P what order each belongs to
P their relationship to the taxon known as Eutheria
P what types of evidence suggest that hyrax is the nearest relative.

What prehistoric and now extinct species is also a close relative of an elephant?
 Name:

1 SCIENTIFIC
VERSUS
NAMES
COMMON

PART 1:

A day lily, a mariposa tulip, and an Easter lily all have some connection to the word "lily."
Do these names tell you how closely related these plants are? Explain.

What is the value of a scientific name?

PART 2:

Extension: Use outside sources (including online sources) to find more information about
these plants that share a common name of "lily."
P If possible, look at images of each one, making a sketch for
comparison. Explain why they may have similar names.
P Locate the scientific name of each one.
P Describe how closely related they are.

What is the connection to the word "lily?"

Do you think "lily" is an appropriate name?

 Name:

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that on first glance may seem to all be alike. How can
they be classified? List some features or behaviors that could be used to distinguish different
species of bacteria. (You will need to extend what you learned in the video and apply it to
this new example.)

Some bacteria produce endospores for survival. These include Bacillus anthracis that cause
the disease known as anthrax, Clostridium tetanii that cause tetanus, and Clostridium
botulinum that can result in a potentially fatal kind of food poisoning known as botulism.
(The botox treatment to relax wrinkles in facial muscles uses a toxin produced by
Clostridium botulinum.)

Research the characteristics that are shared by these three species of bacteria. How are they
grouped taxonomically? How do they compare to the bacteria that cause serious sore throat,
Streptococcus?
 Name:

PART 1:

The video described new information about a group of prokaryotes known as archaebacteria
(archaea). What unusual characteristics do they have?

There is a trend to organize biological taxa into three high level groups called Domains. What
three domains did the video mention? Indicate for each if they are eukaryotes or prokaryotes.

PART 2:

What is the connection between the five Kingdoms and the three Domains? Draw a diagram
below to show the relationships.
 Name:

The class will be divided into teams.

Step 1:
With your team, select three organisms. They can be of different domains, kingdoms
or even closely related species-the choice is yours. Write the scientific names of
these organisms on separate index cards. Add the common name if you know it. Add
one comment to describe the organism from common knowledge or indicate why you
selected it.

Step 2:
With your team, do some research to find out how these organisms are related. Draw
a schematic chart or diagram to show their relationship. For example, you could draw
circles to indicate which taxa they share: two might be in the same Kingdom but in
different orders. Support your diagram with the information you have obtained about
these organisms.

Step 3:
Now combine all the class cards. Your teacher will mix them up and re-distribute
them to the teams.

Step 4:
Repeat step 2, adding in the new organisms you have received from other teams into
your chart. The important idea is to show how certain characteristics group some
species together at one level of the classification scheme and separate them at other
levels.
 Name:

How do classification systems build a bridge between current organisms and extinct species?

What types of things could cause modem species to become extinct?

 Name:

Biological classification reflects the evolutionary history of organisms on Earth. Read the
article about the evolution of the immune system written by Gregory Beck and Gail Habicht.
"Immunity and the Invertebrates" in Scientijic American Vol. 275 (5) November 1996, p. 60.

Explain how the chart on p. 62 shows the connection between classification and evolutionary
history.

You may also find the following article interesting: "Sharks and the Origins of Vertebrate
Immunity" by Gary W. Litman in Scientzjk American Vol. 275 (5) November 1996, p. 67.
From the title, what connection is there to the human immune system?

A quote from that article on p. 67 reads, "Although the placoderms and their ancestors are
long gone, we do have the next best thing: several of their phylogenetic relations, including
sharks, skates, rays and ratfishes." Why might it be useful to know about modern organisms
that are close relatives to an extinct species?
 Name:

Check out this website for the Monterey Aquarium in California:

http://www.mbayaq .erg/

Visit the site and investigate these three species:

penguins

whales

sea otters

All three live in salt water for all or much of their lives. They all are streamlined for moving
easily through water. How closely related are they?
 FACT
SHEETS
 Name:

Animal: One of the five biological Kingdoms. Animals are eukaryotes. They rely on other
organisms for food.

Archaea: One of three domains, a high level taxon. The Archaea include some very ancient
prokaryotes and modern prokaryotic single-celled organisms that live in extreme
environments.

Cell: Unit of organization of an organism. A cell is a membrane bound compartment. Some

organisms consist of a single cell (such as amoeba or bacterium). Others are
multicellular, with different types of cells.

Class: Biological classification group or taxon that falls between a Phylum and an Order.

Classification: Organization of things into a uniform and consistent system.

Darwin, Charles: A British naturalist who in the mid-1 800s presented data to support an
explanation of long term heritable biological change in groups of organisms (species).
This long-term change is called evolution.

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, a genetic material.

Domain: High-level biological taxon. There are thought to be three domains, two of which
(Archaea and Eubacteria) are prokaryotic. The domain called Eukarya includes
eukaryotic organisms.

Eukarya: One of three domains, a high level taxon. The Eukarya include the eukaryotic
kingdoms of Animals, Plants, Protists and Fungi.

Evolution: Long term, gradual heritable change in a species.

Extinction: The complete disappearance of a species.

Family: Biological classification group or taxon that falls between an Order and a Genus.

Fungi: One of the five biological Kingdoms. Fungi are eukaryotes that include mushrooms
and mold. They live on biological material from living or dead organisms.

Genus (plural genera): Biological taxon that falls between Family and Species.

Hierarchy: Scheme of organization with nested higher levels (lower levels grouped together
into higher levels).
 Name:

Kingdom: Large-scale biological classification group or taxon. There generally are thought
to be five distinct Kingdoms (Animals, Plants, Protists, Monera and Fungi).

Linnaeus, Carolus: Swedish scientist of the 1750s who devised a biologically meaningful
classification system for organisms.

Mass extinction: Abrupt decrease in the number and variety of species living on Earth.

Monera: One of the five biological Kingdoms. The Monera are prokaryotes. They obtain
nutrients in a variety of ways.

Nucleus: Internal, membrane bound compartment in eukaryotic cells that houses the genetic
material.

Phylum (plural phyla): Biological classification group or taxon that falls between a
Kingdom and a Class.

Plants: One of the five biological Kingdoms. The Plants are eukaryotes that can produce
their own food through photosynthesis.

Prokaryotes: One of two large-scale divisions of organisms. The prokaryotes have simple
cells that lack a nucleus. Bacteria are prokaryotes. The five-Kingdom system
collects all prokaryotes in the Kingdom Monera. The three-Domain system has two
prokaryotic domains, the Archaea and the Eubacteria (sometimes called True
Bacteria).

Protista: One of the five biological Kingdoms. Protists often are single-celled and
microscopic, but they are eukaryotes. Amoebas and Paramecia are Protists.

Taxon (plural taxa): Group in a classification scheme.

Taxonomy: The science or technique of identifying, naming and classifying organisms.

 Name:

Books of Interest
Dando, Marc, and Hull, Richard, primary contributors. Waller, Geoffrey, editor. Sea Life:
A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment. Smithsonian Press: Washington D.C.
1996.
Heywood, V.H., editor. Flowering Plants of the World. Mayflower Books, Inc.: New York,
1978.
MacDonald, David, editor. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Barnes and Noble
BooksIOxford Andromeda: New York, 200 1.
Norell, Mark, Gaffney, Eugene, and Dingus, Lowell. Discovering Dinosaurs in the
American Museum ofNatural History. Alfred A. Knopf New York, 1995.
Noman, David. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Barnes and Noble Books: New
York, 1998.
Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Bird L f e and Behavior. National Audubon
Society. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 2001.
Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Birds. National Audubon Society. Alfred A.
Knopf: New York, 2000.

Articles of Interest
Beck, Gregory and Habicht, Gail. "Immunity and the Invertebrates" in ScientiJic American
Vol. 275 (5) November 1996, p. 60.

Brocks, J.J., G.A. Logan, R. Buick, and R.E. Summons. "Archean molecular fossils and the
early rise of eukaryotes" in Science 285: 1033-1036, 1999.

Brown, J.R. and W.F. Doolittle. "Archaea and the prokaryote-to-eukaryote transition" in
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 61 :456-502, 1997.

Litman, Gary W. "Sharks and the Origins of Vertebrate Immunity" in Scientzjic American
Vol. 275 (5) November 1996, p. 67.
Motani, Ryosuke. "Rulers of the Jurassic Seas" in Scientzjk American Vol. 283 (6)
December 2000, p. 52.
 Name:

Some websites useful for studying classification are given in the following URLs. Please
keep in mind that Web addresses change from time to time. You may also find it helphl to
do a search with keywords such as "classification," "extinction," or enter the name of a
particular kingdom.

Monterey Bay Aquarium: Go for a virtual field trip here: htt~:/lwww.mbavas.ora/

Image library of plants in California: Visit the Calflora website associated with the
University of California at Berkeley. You can search the site for specific plant names or
genera here: htt~://www.calflora.or~/

An excellent general reference online for biological classification is the Tree of Life project:
http://tolweb.org/tree/phvlogeny.html
 PRODUCTS FOR GRADES8-I 2
OTHER BIOLOGY
FROM HUMANRELATIONS MEDIA

Biodiversity: The Web of Life videolprint or DVDIprint

Cellular Respiration: Energy for Life videolprint

Homeostasis: The Body in Balance videolprint

Introduction to Cells videolprint

Meiosis: The Key to Genetic Diversity videolprint I

1 Mitosis: Sending the Genetic Message videolprint I
Organic Compounds in Action videolprint

Patterns of Inheritance: Understanding Genetics videolprint

Photosynthesis: Light into Life videolprint

The Theory of Evolution folding display

The Rising Threat of Infectious Diseases videolprint

Translating the Code: Protein Synthesis videolprint

Understanding Evolution: Change and Inheritance videolprint

b r u s e s : The Deadly Enemy videolprint

Available from

Human Relations Media

4 1 Kensico Drive
Mount Kisco, NY 10549

Phone: 800 / 43 1-2050

Fax: 9 14 / 244-0485
Web: www.hrrnvideo.com