Name and describe your species. It’s okay if you just call them “species I,” “species 2,” but each item must have a unique name.
Grocery Taxonomy Lab
Before beginning this exercise, be sure that you’ve studied Section 12.3 from your text. You may also find this web site to be useful: Classification of Living Things
Objective:
The point of this exercise is to help you understand the practice of taxonomy.
Materials:
An assortment of thirty different food items
A ruler, tape measure, or digital scale with metric units
Methods:
Hopefully, you will be able to rummage around in your kitchen to find 30 items to use for this lab. Try for variety and diversity in your selection. You may only use one of each specific item.
Your 30 objects represent members of thirty different species in the Kingdom Grocery. Your task is to organize your species into genera, families, and Orders in the manner of the Linnaean classification system.
First, carefully name and describe your species. It’s okay if you just call them “species I,” “species 2,” but each item must have a unique name. You should also measure each item in some way (using metric units) and include these measurements in your descriptions — length, diameter, circumference, weight, etc. You will need to create a word doc and type your 30 species names, descriptions, and measurements.
The system developed by Linnaeas has seven major levels of classification, beginning at the most general (most inclusive) level, Kingdom, and ending with the most specific, (least inclusive) species.
(Note: An additional level above Kingdom was added later).
Your items are all in the Kingdom Grocery. Your next task is to organize your 30 species into genera, genera into families and families into orders. Make sure your taxonomy nests properly and is clear to anyone who reads it.
HINT to help you get started:
Remember that Linnaeus decided on his classification by grouping species into genera because of physical similarity, then grouping genera into families because of broader similarity, etc. You might find it easiest to begin at the most specific level and move toward the general. Spread your objects out and cluster them into categories based on similarities. Don’t forget, by the way, that each category (or taxon) has to have a name. Once you’ve got your species clustered into genera, then go on and cluster your genera into families, etc.
Show your nesting scheme either as a branching diagram or in outline view. For example, if I were making a nesting scheme for certain items of clothing, it might look like this:
- Order Outerwear
- Family Winter
- Genus Hats
- Species Striped Beanie
- Species Red Stocking Hat
If you have any questions contact me
