Taxonomy+&+Binomial+Nomenclature

toc =What is Taxonomy?=
 * The science of classifying organisms (i.e.identifying and grouping them by their relationships).
 * There are main techniques used in taxonomy when classifying organisms: morphology and DNA sequencing.
 * Depending on the exact method (or combination of methods) used, the classification of an organism can sometimes change. As a result there are sometimes "disputes" among scientists who work in this field.
 * The scientific names of organisms uses a binomial system: //Genus species//
 * Notice when writing the name of an organism, the genus name is capitalised and the entire name is written in italics (or __underlined__ if hand-written).
 * Taxonomists create and use dichotomous keys to help speed-up the classification of specimens.
 * Dichotomous keys are a series of branching two option choices designed to classify specimens.

=Binomial Nomenclature=
 * Botanist [|Carl Linnaeus] was the first to use this system
 * The system assigns names to organisms and is based on an organism's physical or structural features.
 * Latin words are used to name organisms because it is a common language studied by all biologists.

=The Six Kingdom System=
 * **Kingdom or Domain** || **Characteristics** || **Example Organism** ||
 * **[|Bacteria] domain** ||
 * 1 Bacteria domain (sometimes called Eubacteria) || * [|prokaryotic]
 * [|heterotrophs] or [|autotrophs]
 * can reproduce asexually
 * live nearly __everywhere__ || What are called bacteria, e.g. //[|E. coli]// . ||
 * **[|Archae] domain** ||
 * 2 Archae domain (sometimes called Archaebacteria) || * prokaryotic
 * oldest group of organisms on Earth
 * asexual
 * heterotrophs or autotrophs
 * live in extreme environments, a.k.a extremophiles || **Thermophiles** inhabit hot, acidic environments like hot springs
 * Halophiles** are salt loving, found, for e.g. in the Dead Sea ||
 * **[|Eukarya] domain** ||
 * 3 Protista kingdom (see protist note ) || * [|eukaryotic]
 * mostly unicellular
 * autotrophs and heterotrophs
 * sexual and asexual reproduction
 * live in aquatic or moist environments
 * not a natural taxonomic grouping || //Amoeba//, algae, //Paramecium// ||
 * 4 Fungi kingdom || * eukaryotic
 * multicellular (mostly)
 * heterotrophic
 * sexual and asexual
 * mostly terrestrial || mushrooms, yeast, bread mould ||
 * 5 Plantae kingdom || * eukaryotic
 * multicellular
 * autotrophic (photosynthesis)
 * sexual and asexual reproduction
 * mostly terrestrial || mosses, ferns, conifers, flowering plants, seaweed ||
 * 6 Animalia kingdom || * eukaryotic
 * multicellular
 * heterotrophic
 * most reproduce sexually
 * live in terrestrial and aquatic habitats || sponges, worms, lobsters, starfish, humans, cats, spiders ||

**Protist Note:** The protists still do exist as a smaller taxonomic group called a kingdom, except that many of the organisms that used to be classified as protists are now grouped into the plant, animal and fungus kingdoms. Remember that it isn't the organisms that have changed but it is our understanding of how the organisms are related that has changed over the years.