Chapter 17 Vocab

Question 1

Taxon

Answer 1

A group of organisms in a classification system

Question 2

Binomial nomenclature

Answer 2

A system that gives each species a two-part scientific name using Latin words

Question 3

Taxonomy

Answer 3

The science of naming and classifying organisms

Question 4

Genus

Answer 4

Includes one or more physically similar species that are thought to be closely related

Question 5

Phylogeny

Answer 5

Evolutionary history of a group of related species

Question 6

Cladistics

Answer 6

Classification based on common ancestry

Question 7

Cladogram

Answer 7

An evolutionary tree that proposes how species may be related to each other through common ancestors

Question 8

Derived characters

Answer 8

Trait that differs in structure or function from that found in the ancestral line for a group of species; used in constructing cladograms

Question 9

Molecular clock

Answer 9

Models that use mutation rates to measure evolutionary time

Question 10

Mitochondrial DNA

Answer 10

DNA found only in mitochondria; often used as a molecular clock

Question 11

Ribosomal RNA

Answer 11

RNA that is in the ribosome and guides the translation of mRNA into a protein; molecular clock

Question 12

Bacteria

Answer 12

One of the three domains of life, containing single-celled prokaryotes in the kindom bacteria

Question 13

Archaea

Answer 13

One of the three domains of life, containing single celled prokaryotes in the kindom archaea

Question 14

Eukarya

Answer 14

One of the three domains of life, made up of all organisms with eukaryotic cells