CH 19 Outline Flashcards
What is taxonomy?
The branch of biology concerned with naming and classifying the diverse forms of life.
Why is organizing or grouping organisms important?
It helps in dealing with them.
What are the two early classifications of organisms?
Plants and animals.
Who is considered the father of modern taxonomy?
Linnaeus.
What is binomial nomenclature?
A formal system of naming species using two terms: genus and species.
What is the scientific name of humans?
Homo sapiens.
List the major taxonomic ranks from most inclusive to least inclusive.
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Phylum/Division
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
What mnemonic can help remember the order of taxonomic categories?
Do Knowledgeable Political Candidates Often Forget General Subjects.
What is systematics?
The field of biology that reconstructs phylogeny to categorize the diversity of living organisms.
Define phylogeny.
The perceived evolutionary history of an organism.
True or False: Taxonomy is an exact process.
False.
Who proposed a five kingdom system in 1969?
Robert Whittaker.
What are the five kingdoms proposed by Whittaker?
- Monera
- Protista
- Fungi
- Plantae
- Animalia
What are the defining characteristics of Monera?
- Prokaryotic
- Unicellular
- Absorption/photosynthesis
What are the two prokaryotic domains identified by Carl Woese?
- Bacteria
- Archaea
What is polyphyletic?
A grouping which contains organisms with different immediate ancestors.
What are some criteria used by biologists to group organisms?
- Morphology
- Anatomy
- Developmental stage
- Cell structure
- Behavior
- Lifecycle
- Ecology
What is the Biological Species Concept?
The group which includes all the organisms which are (or have the potential for) interbreeding.
What does the Morphological Species Concept focus on?
The same shape and structure.
What defines the Ecological Species?
Its ecological role and the habitat occupied.
What is the Phylogenetic Species Concept?
The smallest group of individuals that shares a common ancestor sharing an evolutionary history.
Fill in the blank: The lowest category of the taxonomic hierarchy is _______.
species.
Approximately how many species have been identified?
About 1.6 million.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of life in the world or a particular habitat or ecosystem.
