Classification System - Biology Activities with Specimens

 Classification System

Organisms are classified basing on two systems of classification which are artiicial and natural systems of classification. Artiicial system group or-ganisms according to observable features, eg. presence or absence of wings. Natural system group organisms according to external as well as internal features. Natural system is the best way of classifying living organisms.

Learning Objectives

To carry out practical activity of classifying living things according to natural and artiicial system.

Materials

Cardboard box, marker pen.

Specimens

Varieties of living things like insects, lizard, preserved snake, dried sh, earthworms, preserved ascaris, preserved beetles, rat, pictures of reptiles, yeast cells, mushrooms, cultured bread mould and mucor from cut tomatoes, Bidens pilosa(black jack plant), maize plant, Commelina spp plants, conifers branch and cones, cactus stem, variegated leaf, hibiscus ower, and moss plant

Hazards and Safety

Be careful with poisonous organisms during their collection as speci-mens.

 

Be careful with the preservatives as they can irritate or damage your skin.

Preparation Procedure

1.           Collect varieties of specimens (live or preserved).

2.           Collect pictures showing variety of reptiles.

Activity Procedure

1.           Display the collected specimens by mounting them in cardboard boxes. Label them with letters using a marker pen .

2.           Display the pictures showing varieties of reptiles.

3.           Observe the external features from each specimen collected and group them.

4.           Discuss on how to group organisms basing on Artiicial and Natural system.

Results and Conclusion

Students are expected to group organisms by using the observable features and the behaviour of the organisms. They also need to understand how the internal features help to give a better way of grouping organisms.

Clean Up Procedure

1.           Remove all unwanted materials left after observation.

2.           Return specimens on specimen's bottles for preservation.

Notes

Clas-sification should be based on features which show evolutionary relation-ships. Otherwise few features and external features may lead to a wrong grouping of organisms.