INFRARED RADIATION

Classification of living organisms

Linnaean system of classification

Living organisms are classified into groups depending on their structure and characteristics. This system was developed in the eighteenth century by Carl Linnaeus.

The classification of species allows the subdivision of living organisms into smaller and more specialised groups.

Kingdoms

The first division of living things in the classification system is to put them into one of five kingdoms.

The five kingdoms are:

animals (all multicellular animals)
plants (all green plants)
fungi (moulds, mushrooms, yeast)
protists (Amoeba, Chlorella and Plasmodium)
prokaryotes (bacteria, blue-green algae)
Further divisions

Living things can then be ranked according to:

phylum
class
order
family
genus
species
Phylum follows Kingdoms and has many…