Question
The evolution of life on Earth over the past 4 billion years has resulted in a huge variety of species. For more
than 2,000 years, humans have been trying to classify the great diversity of life. The science of classifying
organisms is called _______________________ .
Classification is an important step in understanding the present diversity and past evolutionary history of life
on Early. All modern classification systems have their roots in the _______________________ classification
system.
It was developed by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in the 1700s. He tried to classify all living things that
were known at his time.
The Linnaean system of classification consists of a hierarchy of groupings, called _______________________
(singular, taxon). Taxa range from the kingdom to the species. The _______________________ is the
_______________________ and most inclusive grouping.
It consists of organisms that share just a few basic similarities. Examples are the plant and animal kingdoms.
The _______________________ is the _______________________ and most exclusive grouping.
It consists of organisms that are similar enough to produce fertile _______________________ together.
Closely related species are grouped together in a _______________________ .
QUICK CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING!
1) What is taxonomy?
2) How did Carolus Linnaeus group organisms?
3) What is the difference between kingdom and species in the Linnaean system of classification?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The evolution of life on Earth over the past 4 billion years has resulted in a huge variety of species. For more than 2,000 years, humans have been trying to classify the great diversity of life. The science of classifying organisms is called **taxonomy**.
Classification is an important step in understanding the present diversity and past evolutionary history of life on Earth. All modern classification systems have their roots in the **Linnaean** classification system. It was developed by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in the 1700s. He tried to classify all living things that were known at his time.
The Linnaean system of classification consists of a hierarchy of groupings, called **taxa** (singular, taxon). Taxa range from the kingdom to the species. The **kingdom** is the **largest** and most inclusive grouping. It consists of organisms that share just a few basic similarities. Examples are the plant and animal kingdoms. The **species** is the **smallest** and most exclusive grouping. It consists of organisms that are similar enough to produce fertile **offspring** together. Closely related species are grouped together in a **genus**.
### QUICK CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING!
1) **What is taxonomy?**
Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms based on their characteristics and evolutionary history.
2) **How did Carolus Linnaeus group organisms?**
Carolus Linnaeus grouped organisms based on shared physical characteristics and established a hierarchical system of classification that ranges from broad categories (kingdom) to specific ones (species).
3) **What is the difference between kingdom and species in the Linnaean system of classification?**
The kingdom is the largest and most inclusive category that encompasses a broad range of organisms with some shared characteristics, whereas the species is the smallest and most exclusive category that includes organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
Classification is an important step in understanding the present diversity and past evolutionary history of life on Earth. All modern classification systems have their roots in the **Linnaean** classification system. It was developed by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in the 1700s. He tried to classify all living things that were known at his time.
The Linnaean system of classification consists of a hierarchy of groupings, called **taxa** (singular, taxon). Taxa range from the kingdom to the species. The **kingdom** is the **largest** and most inclusive grouping. It consists of organisms that share just a few basic similarities. Examples are the plant and animal kingdoms. The **species** is the **smallest** and most exclusive grouping. It consists of organisms that are similar enough to produce fertile **offspring** together. Closely related species are grouped together in a **genus**.
### QUICK CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING!
1) **What is taxonomy?**
Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms based on their characteristics and evolutionary history.
2) **How did Carolus Linnaeus group organisms?**
Carolus Linnaeus grouped organisms based on shared physical characteristics and established a hierarchical system of classification that ranges from broad categories (kingdom) to specific ones (species).
3) **What is the difference between kingdom and species in the Linnaean system of classification?**
The kingdom is the largest and most inclusive category that encompasses a broad range of organisms with some shared characteristics, whereas the species is the smallest and most exclusive category that includes organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.