4.2.2 Classification and evolution Flashcards
how many different organisms do scientists believe currently exist on earth?
8.7 billion
what are classification systems?
the process by which living things are sorted into groups
what does it mean when organisms are in the same group in the classification system?
they share similar characteristics
what is phylogeny?
this is the study of how closely related species are, look at evolutionary relationships
what is taxonomy?
the study of the principles behind classification (this uses differences and similarities and put them into groups)
why do we classify things?
-to identify species
-to predict characteristics
-to find evolutionary links
how is this single classification system utilised world wide?
by using a single classification system worldwide, scientists can identify links between different organisms even if they live on different continents
what are the seven taxonomic groups in the Linnean classification system?
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
what happens as you move down the hierarchy of the taxonomic groups in the Linnean classification system?
as you move down the hierarchy there are more groups but fewer organisms in each group- the organisms in each group become more similar and share more of the same characteristics
describe the species taxon
-smallest unit of classification
-same physiology, anatomy, morphology and behaviour
define species
a species is a group of organisms that are able to reproduce fertile offspring
what is binomial nomenclature?
all species are given a name consisting of two parts
what is the first word of binomial nomenclature?
-the organisms genus
-must start with a capital letter
what is the second word of binomial nomenclature?
-the organisms species
-must start with a small letter
what form must the words in binomial nomenclature be in?
they should all be in italics and if handwritten then underlined
which taxon includes the most specific characteristics?
species
which taxon includes the broadest characteristics?
kingdom
which taxon includes more species, an order or a family?
order
which taxon includes only organisms that can successfully interbreed?
species
if two organisms belong to the same family, what other taxonomic groups do the organisms have in common?
order, class, phylum, kingdom
how many kingdoms are there?
5
how many kingdoms did there used to be?
two (plants and animals)
why did two kingdoms become five?
- as technology improved so did scientific knowledge
-this allowed plants to be separated into more kingdoms
what are the different feeding systems?
-autotrophic
-heterotrophic
-saprotrophic
define autotrophic
an organism that transforms inorganic molecules into organic molecules (photosynthesis)