Question

This exercise begins with a visit to the hardware store. Browse through the racks of nails, screws, etc., and select at least thirty different objects. Try for variety and diversity in your selection. Go wild — they only cost a few pennies each, and you only need one of each.

These objects represent members of at least thirty different species in the Kingdom Hardware--each object representing a different species. Your task is to organize your species into genera, families, etc., in the manner of the Linnaean classification system. Check your textbook if you can't remember what this organization looks like.

First, carefully describe and name your species. It's OK if you just decide to call them "species I," "species 2," etc. They just need to have names. You will need to include this list of descriptions in your lab submission

These items represent the "Type" specimens for your species, so you need pretty good descriptive information about them. You should also measure each of them (using metric units) and include these measurements in your descriptions — length, diameter, size of holes, etc. Make your descriptive measurements as complete as you can.

The Linnaean system has seven major levels of classification, beginning at the most general with the Kingdom, and ending with the most specific-the species. So your task is to organize your species into the six levels from species up to phylum (since I already told you that these guys are all in the Kingdom Hardware). [NOTE: You may not need to use all six levels, but you should go at least as far as sorting your species all into different orders--so at least sort species into genera, genera into families and families into orders.]

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. The two examples below demonstrate this exercise beginning with the general and moving to the specific, then beginning with the specific and moving to the general. 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.

Answer 1

Let us begin with the specific items purchased from the Hardware store. Following could be the thirty items of your choice:

1.Nails, 2.screw, 3.cork, 4.hammer, 5.pin, 6.bottle opener, 7.chisel, 8.scissors, 9.paper cutter, 10.keys, 11.locks, 12.chains, 13.hangers, 14.glue, 15.tape, 16.paint brush, 17.paint, 18.enamel, 19.sand paper, 20.electrical wire, 21.bulb, 22.battery, 23.ladder, 24.car jack, 25.screw diver, 26.door hinge, 27.led light, 28.cleaning brush, 29.gloves, 30.inverter.

Now these items are classified as different species from 1 to 30.As we know the Linneaus system of classification follows as Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.

Our Kingdom is : Hardware

The genus can be created based upon the similarity of the species types as follows:

Genus paint: Species 16, 17, 18

Genus Lighting: 20, 21, 27, 30

Genus Cleaning: Species 28, 29

Genus machines: Species 1,2,3,4, 6, 7, 8,9, 24, 25

Genus Lock&key: Species 10, 11

Genus Sticker: Species 14, 15

Genus Misellaneous: 9, 12, 13, 19, 22, 23, 26

So we can now place the genera in same or different families, class order and phyllum according to their functions, utilility, or warranty etc, based on your choice.