Laboratory Exercise 3:Describing Evolutionary History-
Classification, Hierarchies, and Phylogenies
Biology II Laboratory BSC1011L Authors BJ AG NB AN SF Date: 7Jan23
Material is also covered in Chapter 26 of Campbell Biology, 12th Ed., Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky and Orr.
Group Members: Lydia LaClair, John Correll, Stanley Herard, Adrian Brunson
KEY CONCEPTS:
1. Carolus Linnaeus developed a classification system to catalog all of life. The Linnaean classification identifies eight
hierarchical levels: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum or Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
2. The most inclusive groups in the Linnaean system are Domains and Kingdoms.
There are three Domains:
o Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya. The Bacteria and Archaea are both prokaryotes.
There are four Supergroups in the Domain Eukarya:
o Unikonta (animals, fungi, and some protists)
o Archaeplastida (land plants and protists)
o Excavata (all protists)
o SAR (all protists)
There are four traditional Kingdoms within Eukarya:
o Protists, Plants, Fungi, Animals
3. Binomial nomenclature provides every species with a unique scientific name consisting of the genus and specific
epithet. This allows world-wide effective communication about species and there are rules to naming species.
4. The historical and genealogical pattern of ancestry and descent can be clearly shown using a phylogeny (also called
a tree, phylogenetic tree, or cladogram).
5. Unlike in Linnaeus’ time, classifications are now based on evolutionary relationships. Because evolutionary
relationships are still being discovered, classifications change with new information.
6. Phylogenies are inferred from homologous traits (traits that are similar due to shared ancestry), not from analogous
traits (traits that are similar due to convergence).
7. Clades, and the shared derived characters (synapomorphies) that identify them, are the building blocks of creating
trees. Phylogenies consist of clades of increasingly inclusive groups.
8. Scientists use dichotomous keys to identify individual organisms, because individual organisms have both shared-
derived characters used in the first steps of the key, and diagnostic characters, used in the final steps of the key.
SKILLS YOU SHOULD MASTER BY THE END OF LAB:
1. Identify and label the eight hierarchical levels of classification in the Linnaean system.
2. Know the main characteristics of the three domains of life, recognize the four supergroups of the Domain Eukarya.
Recognize the four traditional Kingdoms of Eukarya (Protists, Plants, Fungi, Animals).
3. Write a scientific name in the proper format (both typed and handwritten). Be able to create new scientific names
following the three general rules and common practices.
4. Know the parts of a phylogenetic tree and be able to label and interpret a phylogenetic tree.
5. Given a set of organisms, draw a phylogeny and label clades, diagnostic characters, and shared-derived characters
(synapomorphies).
6. Use a key to key out mammal skulls or other organisms.
Lab 3: Describing Evolutionary History
VOCABULARY:
Carolus Linnaeus Homologous traits Basal Node, Basal taxon
Taxonomy Analogous traits Ingroup, Outgroup
Classification Convergence Branch
Systematics Derived characters Branch tips
Binomial nomenclature Ancestral characters Clade
Scientific name Diagnostic characters Sister taxa
Genus and specific epithet Node Synapomorphies
Phylogeny, Tree, Phylogenetic tree Speciation Polytomy
Cladogram Macroevolution Dichotomous key
Introduction
1
, Taxonomy is the science of giving unique and meaningful names to all of
the species on Earth and organizing those names in a meaningful way that
all scientists can use. In the mid 1700’s Carolus Linnaeus developed a
classification system to catalog the diversity of life, so people could
communicate accurately many across cultures.
His classification scheme was hierarchical in nature. Large groups
containing many different species were divided into smaller more specific
groups, each with fewer species. Each of these was divided into still
smaller groups with still fewer species. These hierarchical categories
(also called ranks) were used as an index, much like the alphabet-based
index you have in the back of your textbook.
Linnaeus identified several of the categories, or ranks, we use today in his Figure 1. Painting of
book, the Systema Naturae (note the recognition of classes, ordines, Carolus Linnaeus (1707-
genera, and species on the title page in Figure 2). 1778).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaeus
By the time of Charles Darwin, scientists understood biological evolution,
and that the species we find on Earth have also evolved in a hierarchical
fashion, with older species giving rise to younger species through
millions of years.
What was Linnaeus trying to do in writing his book Systema Naturae?
Linnaeus was trying to develop the classification systems based on hierarchical structure and observable physical
characteristic.
Critical Thinking: Darwin introduced the idea of evolution as descent with modification in 1859 with his book, The
Origin of Species. Do you think Linnaeus, who lived in the 1700’s understood evolution? How do you think he
determined his categories?
I think Linnaeus identifying classification systems was a step towards Charles Darwin and his identification for
evolution. Although, Linnaeus didn’t use phylogenetic systematics to develop his classification systems which means
that he didn’t base these groups off evolutionary relationships.
Taxonomists traditionally use eight major levels (ranks) in a hierarchical
classification scheme.
These are:
Domain
Lab 3: Describing Evolutionary History
Kingdom
Phylum (in animals) or Division (in plants)
Class
Order
Family Figure 2. The 10th version of the
Genus Systema Naturae described 4,400
Species species of animals and 7,700
species of plants.
Figure 3: Life’s hierarchical levels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaeus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain
2
Classification, Hierarchies, and Phylogenies
Biology II Laboratory BSC1011L Authors BJ AG NB AN SF Date: 7Jan23
Material is also covered in Chapter 26 of Campbell Biology, 12th Ed., Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky and Orr.
Group Members: Lydia LaClair, John Correll, Stanley Herard, Adrian Brunson
KEY CONCEPTS:
1. Carolus Linnaeus developed a classification system to catalog all of life. The Linnaean classification identifies eight
hierarchical levels: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum or Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
2. The most inclusive groups in the Linnaean system are Domains and Kingdoms.
There are three Domains:
o Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya. The Bacteria and Archaea are both prokaryotes.
There are four Supergroups in the Domain Eukarya:
o Unikonta (animals, fungi, and some protists)
o Archaeplastida (land plants and protists)
o Excavata (all protists)
o SAR (all protists)
There are four traditional Kingdoms within Eukarya:
o Protists, Plants, Fungi, Animals
3. Binomial nomenclature provides every species with a unique scientific name consisting of the genus and specific
epithet. This allows world-wide effective communication about species and there are rules to naming species.
4. The historical and genealogical pattern of ancestry and descent can be clearly shown using a phylogeny (also called
a tree, phylogenetic tree, or cladogram).
5. Unlike in Linnaeus’ time, classifications are now based on evolutionary relationships. Because evolutionary
relationships are still being discovered, classifications change with new information.
6. Phylogenies are inferred from homologous traits (traits that are similar due to shared ancestry), not from analogous
traits (traits that are similar due to convergence).
7. Clades, and the shared derived characters (synapomorphies) that identify them, are the building blocks of creating
trees. Phylogenies consist of clades of increasingly inclusive groups.
8. Scientists use dichotomous keys to identify individual organisms, because individual organisms have both shared-
derived characters used in the first steps of the key, and diagnostic characters, used in the final steps of the key.
SKILLS YOU SHOULD MASTER BY THE END OF LAB:
1. Identify and label the eight hierarchical levels of classification in the Linnaean system.
2. Know the main characteristics of the three domains of life, recognize the four supergroups of the Domain Eukarya.
Recognize the four traditional Kingdoms of Eukarya (Protists, Plants, Fungi, Animals).
3. Write a scientific name in the proper format (both typed and handwritten). Be able to create new scientific names
following the three general rules and common practices.
4. Know the parts of a phylogenetic tree and be able to label and interpret a phylogenetic tree.
5. Given a set of organisms, draw a phylogeny and label clades, diagnostic characters, and shared-derived characters
(synapomorphies).
6. Use a key to key out mammal skulls or other organisms.
Lab 3: Describing Evolutionary History
VOCABULARY:
Carolus Linnaeus Homologous traits Basal Node, Basal taxon
Taxonomy Analogous traits Ingroup, Outgroup
Classification Convergence Branch
Systematics Derived characters Branch tips
Binomial nomenclature Ancestral characters Clade
Scientific name Diagnostic characters Sister taxa
Genus and specific epithet Node Synapomorphies
Phylogeny, Tree, Phylogenetic tree Speciation Polytomy
Cladogram Macroevolution Dichotomous key
Introduction
1
, Taxonomy is the science of giving unique and meaningful names to all of
the species on Earth and organizing those names in a meaningful way that
all scientists can use. In the mid 1700’s Carolus Linnaeus developed a
classification system to catalog the diversity of life, so people could
communicate accurately many across cultures.
His classification scheme was hierarchical in nature. Large groups
containing many different species were divided into smaller more specific
groups, each with fewer species. Each of these was divided into still
smaller groups with still fewer species. These hierarchical categories
(also called ranks) were used as an index, much like the alphabet-based
index you have in the back of your textbook.
Linnaeus identified several of the categories, or ranks, we use today in his Figure 1. Painting of
book, the Systema Naturae (note the recognition of classes, ordines, Carolus Linnaeus (1707-
genera, and species on the title page in Figure 2). 1778).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaeus
By the time of Charles Darwin, scientists understood biological evolution,
and that the species we find on Earth have also evolved in a hierarchical
fashion, with older species giving rise to younger species through
millions of years.
What was Linnaeus trying to do in writing his book Systema Naturae?
Linnaeus was trying to develop the classification systems based on hierarchical structure and observable physical
characteristic.
Critical Thinking: Darwin introduced the idea of evolution as descent with modification in 1859 with his book, The
Origin of Species. Do you think Linnaeus, who lived in the 1700’s understood evolution? How do you think he
determined his categories?
I think Linnaeus identifying classification systems was a step towards Charles Darwin and his identification for
evolution. Although, Linnaeus didn’t use phylogenetic systematics to develop his classification systems which means
that he didn’t base these groups off evolutionary relationships.
Taxonomists traditionally use eight major levels (ranks) in a hierarchical
classification scheme.
These are:
Domain
Lab 3: Describing Evolutionary History
Kingdom
Phylum (in animals) or Division (in plants)
Class
Order
Family Figure 2. The 10th version of the
Genus Systema Naturae described 4,400
Species species of animals and 7,700
species of plants.
Figure 3: Life’s hierarchical levels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaeus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain
2
