taxonomy is how lifeforms are put into groups. the smaller groups are more closely related, but the larger classes are more distantly related. the levels, or ranks, of taxonomy are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. there are many ideas for the meaning of species. one idea, called the biological species concept, is as follows. a species is a group of living things that can mate with each other, and whose children can make their own children.