Taxonomy of Life
Learning objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
- List the different levels of the taxonomic classification system
- Describe how systematics and taxonomy relate to phylogeny
- Discuss a phylogenetic tree’s components and purpose
This bee and Echinacea flower could not look more different, yet they are related, as are all living organisms on Earth. By following pathways of similarities and changes—both visible and genetic—scientists seek to map the evolutionary past of how life developed from single-celled organisms to the tremendous collection of creatures that have germinated, crawled, floated, swum, flown, and walked on this planet.
