TAXONOMY

Organizing, Classifying, and

Naming Microorganisms
- In attempt to assemble and categorize
the huge amount of biological data on
living organisms

Aristotle(384-322 B.C)
- Studied, described, name and tried to
classify animals, plants and
microorganisms in logical and
meaningful way.
The current classification system was
developed by Karl Linnaeous also known
as Carl Von Linnae or Carolus Linnaeous
(1701-1778)
- He was the Swedish botanist who lain
down the rules for taxonomic categories
or taxa. He introduce the Binomial
system of nomenclature
 The Primary concerns of Taxonomy
Classification
- Is a orderly arrangement of organisms into
groups, preferably in a format that shows
evolutionary relationships.

Nomenclature
- Is the process of assigning names to the
various taxonomic rankings of each
microbial species.
Binomial Nomenclature
- The system of nomenclature in
w/c two terms are used to
denote a species of living
organisms, the first one
indicating the genus and the
second the specific epithet.
Identification
- Is the process of discovering and
recording the traits of organisms so
that they can be placed in an overall
taxonomic scheme.
 Levels of Classification
-Organized into several descending ranks, beginning
with Domain w/c is the Giant
- All category based on unique cell type and ending
with species, the smallest and the most specific taxon.
Domain
-all members of the domain share only few general
characteristics.
Species
- Are essentially the same kind of organism sharing the majority
of their characteristics
Level are in descending order:
Kingdom, Phylum or Division, Class, Order,
Family, Genus, and Species
-Each Domain can be subdivided into
series of kingdoms.
- Each kingdom is made up of several
phyla/divisions,
- Each phylum contains several classes
and so on
 Brief History of Classification
Carl Linnae
-Classify living organisms into two broad
divisions Plants and Animals. (Two Kingdom
Scheme of Classification)
- Large multicellular organisms only
- Bacteria, fungi and protist do not have
definite place in this system of
classification.
1956 Herbert Copeland
- Suggested 4 kingdom scheme of
classification separating the Fungi and
protist from the plants and animals.
- Kingdom Mycota, kingdom Protoctista,
kingdom Plantae, Kingdom Animalia.
- Mycota includes all the bacteria and blue
Green algae(cyanobacteria)
- Protoctista includes all protist, fungi and
nucleated algae except blue green algae
1959 Whittaker
- Proposed another 4 kingdom scheme of
classification, using different basis for
grouping living organisms.
- In his scheme of classification , he
assigned all cellular organisms like
bacteria, blue green algae and protozoans
into kingdom protoctista (known as protist).
- The fungi were grouped into kingdom Fungi
1969 Whittaker
- Revised his 4 Kingdom Scheme of classification, into 5
kingdom scheme.
- Kingdom Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
- Monera included prokaryotes like bacteria and
cyanobacteria
- Fungi include all non – photosynthetic organisms like,
molds, yeasts and fungi.
- Kingdom Plantae include all photosynthetic ,
multicellular , eukaryotic and non- motile organisms
bearing plastids and are anchored to substrate.
- Animalia includes all ingestive organisms undergoing
internal digestion
1988 Carl Woese
- Postulated the 6 Kingdom Scheme of
Classification
- This scheme divides Kingdom Monera into
two kingdoms, Archaebacteria and
Eubacteria
- He also introduced the term ‘’Domain’’ w/c
is taxon higher than kingdom.
- Kingdom Archaebacteria, eubacteria,
Fungi, Protista, Plantae, Animalia
 The 8 Kingdom Scheme of Classification
Domain Eukarya
Domain Bacteria 3. Kingdom Archezoa (ancient
1. Kingdom eubacteria
animals)
Domain Archae 4. Kingdom Protoctista ( Protozoans)
2. Kingdom Archaebacteria 5. Kingdom Chromista( brown
algae, allies)
6. Kingdom Palntae ( Red, green
algae and land plants)
7 Kingdom Fungi (fungi)
8. Kingdom Animalia ( animals)