28: Biodiversity Flashcards
What are the 7 characteristics of living organisms?
movement, respiration, irritability, growth, reproduction, excretion, nutrition
What are the levels of classification of organisms with increasing order of similarity?
Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
What is the phylum name for vertebrates?
chordata
What is the meaning of binomial nomenclature?
It is a naming system of organisms. The scientific name of each organism consists of two parts. The first part designates the genus name and the second part designates the species name.
How is the scientific name of humans printed?
Homo sapiens
In print, the name is italicised with the genus name beginning with a capital letter.
How is the scientific name of humans written?
_Homo_ _sapiens_
In writing, the name is underlined while the space between them is not. The genus name begins with a capital letter.
What is the definition of species?
A species is a group of closely related organisms which are potentially capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
What are some exceptions to the definition of species?
Asexually reproducing organisms, and interbred organisms that are not capable of reproducing (eg. mule)
List all domains.
Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya
List all kingdoms and their respective domains.
In Domain Bacteria: Kingdom Eubacteria
In Domain Archaea: Kingdom Archaebacteria
In Domain Eukarya: Kingdom Protista, Kingdom Fungi, Kingdom Animalia, Kingdom Plantae
What is the difference between domains Bacteria, Archaea, and Domain Eukarya?
Domain Bacteria and Domain Archaea consist of prokaryotes, while Domain Eukaryra consists of eukaryotes.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Kingdom Eubacteria?
They are prokaryotic unicellular organisms. They do not have any membrane-bound organelles. Some of them are disease-causing, called pathogens.
What is the structure of organisms in Kingdom Eubacteria?
They have a cell wall made of peptidoglycan. They may have pili for the exchange of genetic materials. They may also have a flagellum for locomotion and be enclosed in a capsule.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Kingdom Archaebacteria?
They are unicellular and prokaryotic, being even smaller than bacteria. Their structures are similar to bacteria, but they have a difference chemical composition of their cell wall and cell membrane. Many of them live in extreme environments, such as hot springs and places lacking oxygen.
What are the general characteristics of organisms in Kingdom Protista?
The kingdom includes all organisms which are not classified into other kingdoms. They can be unicellular or multicellular. Some are animal-like and some are plant-like.
List 3 examples of protists.
Algae, slime mould, protozoa
List 4 examples of algae.
Green algae (Phylum Chlorophyta)
Brown algae (Phylum Phaeophyta)
Red algae (Phylum Rhodophyta)
Diatoms (Phylum Bacillariophyta)
Which organisms do algae resemble and why?
They resemble plants because they carry out photosynthesis.
What are the characteristics of slime mould?
They exist as unicellular Amoeba-like cells in feeding stage. They have spores that are carried by wind.
List 2 examples of protozoans.
Paramecium, Amoeba
Why are protozoans not classified as animals?
They are uni-cellular and have a low complexity, with no specialisation of cells.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Kingdom Fungi?
They are made up of a single cell or thread-like structures called hyphae. They have cell wall made up of chitin. They do not have roots, stem, leaves, nor chlorophyll, so they cannot make their own food.
What are the methods of nutrition of organisms in Kingdom Fungi?
They are saprophytes or parasites since they cannot make their own food.
List 4 examples of fungi.
bread mould, penicillium, yeast, and mushrooms.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Kingdom Plantae?
All plant cells have a cellulose cell wall are green plants contain chloroplasts. They carry out autotrophic nutrition and use photosynthesis to make their own food.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Kingdom Animalia?
Animal cells have no cell wall and they cannot produce their own food. They must take in food.
Describe the phylogenetic relationships between Holothuria floridana, Holothuria tubulosa, and Urophycis floridana.
Since Holothuria floridana and Holothuria tubulosa share the same genus, they are more closely related to each other than with Urophycis floridana, which belongs to another genus.
Although Holothuria floridana and Urophycis floridana share the same species name, they are two different species since they have different genus names. Therefore they are less closely related than Holothuria floridana and Holothuria tubulosa.
What are the characteristics of viruses?
They are not classified as organisms. They do not have cell membrane, nucleus, or cytoplasm. They can only reproduce inside living cells of other organisms.
List 5 classes in the Phylum Chordata.
Class Pisces (fish), Class Amphibia (amphibians), Class Reptilia (reptiles), Class Aves (birds), Class Mammalia (mammals)
What is the difference between poikilotherms and homoiotherms?
Poikilotherms are cold-blooded and their internal body temperature varies with ambient temperature. Homoiotherms are warm-blooded and their internal body temperature remains relatively constant.
What are the differences in survival rate of poikilotherms and homoiotherms?
Homoiotherms have a higher survival rate since they are less susceptible to the changes in environment that causes the changes in enzymes in the bodies.
What are the differences in energy usage of poikilotherms and homoiotherms?
Homoiotherms use more energy since energy is required to maintain the relatively constant body temperature. A lower ambient temperature causes the body to consume more energy for muscle contraction in shivering, higher heart rate to increase blood flow etc.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Pisces?
Their bodies are covered with wet slimy scales. They have fins and a streamlined body for movement. They live in water and use gills to carry out gas exchange. Most of them reproduce through external fertilisation. They are poikilotherms.
List one exception of reproduction method for fish.
Fish usually reproduce through external fertilisation, but sharks reproduce through internal fertilisation.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Amphibia?
They can live both on land and in water. They have wet, slimy naked skin without scales. The young carry out gas exchange with gills in water. As they nature, they grow limbs, go on land, and start breathing with lungs. Adults also carry out gas exchange at skin surface on land. They reproduce through external fertilisation in water, and they are poikilotherms.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Reptilia?
Their skin is covered by dry hard scales. They breathe with lungs. They reproduce through internal fertilisation and lay eggs with soft shells. They are poikilotherms.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Aves?
They have feathers on they bones and dry scales on their legs. Most of them can fly with wings. They have beaks and breathe with lungs. They reproduce through internal fertilisation and lay eggs with a hard shell. They are homoiotherms.
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Mammalia?
Females possess well-developed mammary glands for feeding the young. They have oily skin covered with hair and breathe with lungs. They reproduce through internal fertilisation and the young are born alive. They are homoiotherms.
What is the name of organisms in Phylum Cnidaria?
Cnidarians
What are the characteristics of organisms in Phylum Cnidaria?
They are hollow-body animals.
Their bodies are composed of two layers of cells, and they have radial symmetry.
They have tentacles with stinging cells for self-defence and hunting.
They have only one opening which serves as a mouth and as the anus.
List 3 examples of cnidarians.
Jellyfish, corals, sea anemones
What is the name of organisms in Phylum Annelida?
Annelids
What are the characteristics of organisms in Phylum Annelida?
They are segmented worms which have bilateral symmetry.
They have an elongated body with cuticle on body surface.
Most of them possess chaetae, which are hair-like structures for movement.
List 3 examples of annelids.
Leeches, earthworms, ragworms
List one exception of annelids having chaetae.
Leeches
What is the name of organisms in Phylum Echinodermata?
Echinoderms
What are the characteristics of organisms in Phylum Echinodermata?
They are spiny-skinned marine animals. Adults show five-way radial symmetry.
They have calcareous shells with spines on the surface and have no head.
They have tube feet for movement.
List 3 examples of echinoderms.
Starfish, sea urchin, sea cucumber
What is the name of organisms in Phylum Mollusca?
Molluscs
What are the characteristics of organisms in Phylum Mollusca?
They are soft-bodied animals, with a soft fleshy body.
They are usually bilaterally symmetrical.
The body is divided into head, ventral muscular foot and dorsal visceral hump.
The skin secretes a calcareous shell over the hump.
List 3 classes belonging to Phylum Mollusca.
Class Gastropoda, Class Bivalvia, Class Cephalopoda
What is the name of organisms in Class Gastropoda?
Gastropods
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Gastropoda?
They are asymmetrical, having one piece of coiled shell. They have a large flat foot for locomotion.
They release mucus for lubrication and to prevent drying up.
They have head, eyes, and sensory tentacles.
List 4 examples of gastropods.
Whelk, snail, limpet, slug
What is the name of organisms in Class Bivalvia?
Bivalves
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Bivalvia?
They are aquatic animals with bilateral symmetry.
They have two pieces of shells joined at the hinge, and a foot for burrowing in sand or mud.
They have no tentacles.
List 3 examples of bivalves.
Mussel, oyster, clam
What is the name of organisms in Class Cephalopoda?
Cephalopods
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Cephalopoda?
They are large and complex aquatic animals with bilateral symmetry.
Their shells are often reduced, internal or wholly absent.
The rare adapted for fast swimming.
They have tentacles with suckers, well-developed eyes, and a horny beak.
List 3 examples of cephalopods.
Cuttlefish, squid, octopus
What is the name of organisms in Phylum Arthropoda?
Arthropods
What are the characteristics of organisms in Phylum Arthropoda?
They have jointed appendages (legs) and hard shells (exoskeleton).
They may have antennae, mouth parts, wings, and compound eyes.`
List 4 classes belonging to Phylum Arthropoda.
Class Crustacea, Class Myriapoda, Class Arachnida, Class Insecta
What is the name of organisms in Class Crustacea?
Crustaceans
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Crustacea?
They have more than 4 pairs of jointed appendages.
Their head and thorax are usually fused together.
They are usually aquatic and breathe with gills.
They have two pairs of antennae and compound eyes.
List 4 examples of crustaceans.
Water flea, crab, lobster, barnacles
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Myriapoda?
They have a lot of feet.
They are mainly terrestrial animals with a pair of antennae and compound eyes.
They have clearly defined heads and many body segments.
What is the name of organisms in Class Arachnida?
Arachnids
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Arachnida?
Their head and thorax are not distinctly separate.
They have no antennae and simple eyes.
They have 4 pairs of walking legs.
List 4 examples of arachnids.
Spider, scorpion, mites, ticks
What is the name of organisms in Class Insecta?
Insects
What are the characteristics of organisms in Class Insecta?
They have one pair of antennae, and may have compound or simple eyes.
They have well-defined head, thorax, and abdomen.
They have 3 pairs of legs and one or two pairs of wings on the thorax.
They undergo metamorphosis, which means they undergo structural changes in the lifetime.
List 5 examples of insects.
Bugs, butterfly, bee, grasshopper, beetle
What are the characteristics of vascular plants?
They have true roots, stems, and leaves.
They contain xylem for the transport of water and minerals, and pholem for the transport of organic substances.
They are adapted to dry places.
List 3 types of vascular plants.
Flowering plants, ferns, conifers
List 2 types of flowering plants.
Monocotyledonous plants, dicotyledonous plants
What are the characteristics of monocotyledonous plants?
They have one cotyledon (seed leaf) in the seed.
They have parallel leaf veins.
Their floral parts are in threes.
Their pollen grains have one pore or furrow.
The vascular bundles are arranged randomly throughout the stem’s ground tissue.
List 5 examples of monocots.
Grass, narcissus, orchids rice, maize
What are the characteristics of dicotyledonous plants?
They have two cotyledons (seed leaf) in the seed.
They have a network of leaf veins.
Their floral parts are in four or fives.
Their pollen grains have three pore or furrow.
The vascular bundles are arranged regularly in a ring the stem’s ground tissue.
List 4 examples of dicots.
Broad bean, sunflower, African violet, water lily
List 2 types of non-flowering vascular plants.
Ferns, conifers
What are the characteristics of ferns?
They are found in damp places.
They have chlorophyll, roots, stems, and leaves.
They have vascular tissues.
They produce spores of reproduction.
What are the characteristics of conifers?
They are large plants with roots, stems, leaves, and vascular tissues.
They have needle-shaped leaves and produced naked seeds in cones.
List 4 examples of conifers.
Pine, ginkgo, spruce, cypress
What are the characteristics of non-vascular plants?
They have no xylem or phloem.
This implies that they do not need to transport water and nutrients through long distances. Water and carbon dioxide move by osmosis or diffusion, while organic matter more by diffusion or active transport.
List 1 example of non-vascular plants.
Mosses
What are the characteristics of mosses?
They are found in damp and shady places.
The have simple stems and leaves and have no true roots.
They have no vascular tissues.
They have simple rhizoids for attachment and water absorption.
They produce spores for reproduction.
They are non-flowering.
