Biological Classification

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PART C:

The evolution of classification system started during the times of Aristotle when not much was known about living things, so he classified them as he observed them, all the way to Carl Woese who gave the 6 kingdom classification and 3 domain systems based on the 16S rRNA sequence. (Fig: 1.6) (Quora, 2015)

[pic 15][pic 16]

In the past 300 years of evolution of classification system suggested that it is constantly evolving. Classifications in the 1700s were truly based on the morphological characteristics, i.e how they look. Now with the rapid advancement in our understanding and DNA technologies, there is a radical shift taken place in the grouping of organisms. The ability to extract and analyse DNA which will bring out many advances in biological classification as it will help the evolutionary taxonomists create a more accurate evolutionary tree. Genetic code sequencing also plays a key role in revealing more evidence on the similarity with and relationship to other organisms. (Sciencelearn Hub, 2009)The major factors behind morphology are the parallelism and convergence that contributes to the traditional way of classification. But on the other hand, DNA analysis provides us with the complete record of ancestry and it is proven that all living things have DNA which is more advanced than the morphological method. (O' Neil, 2012) For example, Giant panda, this was placed in different families due to morphological reasons, but through a reciprocal chromosome painting analysis, it was revealed that Giant pandas fall into Bear family. Currently, in New Zealand, there are schemes about the sequence kiwi and tuatara DNA that may revolutionise the way we think about these species and their closest living relatives. When it comes to cost and time, DNA technology is still expensive and time-consuming, so the first step in any classification continues to rely on a comparison of morphological features, similar to the process that Linnaeus undertook in the 1700s. (Sciencelearn Hub, 2009)However, based on the current evaluation and study of molecular and morphological processes, it is convinced that, molecular process is more reliable than the morphological because it gives us a precise account of the relationship between organisms, unlike the morphological process. In conclusion, till this date, there are 6 kingdoms and 3 domain systems are based on the knowledge we have acquired through the study of organisms. In the future, this is not fixed and it will change according to our understanding and technologies improved.

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