HOW DO SCIENTISTS CLASSIFY LIVING THINGS?


Grouping Living Things:
-Scientists need to be able to find things easily
-Scientists look at living things and identify their characteristics
-Then they group living things together that have similar features
-This process is called classification
Grouping by Similarities and Differences:
-All living things can be classified into one of 5 kingdoms.
-Kingdoms are the largest group to which a living thing can be classified.
-Every member of the Moneran kingdom has only one cell and no nucleus.
-Most members of the Protist kingdom also have only one cell but they DO have a nucleus.
-Fungi make up the third kingdom, they have a nucleus and are many celled.
-Plants and animals make up the other two kingdoms.
Forming Smaller Groups:
-Scientists look for more ways that living things are like one another and different from all the rest.
-The next smallest group is the Genus.
-The smallest group is the species.

Reference page
A.Bolin
Page updated on 9 July 2003