Classification and evolution Flashcards
Why do we classify living things
- convenience
- makes study of living things more manageable
- makes it easier to identify organisms
- helps see the relationships between species
What is the modern classification hierarchy
taxonomic groups
Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
Daddy King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti
Who devised the first system of classification and how did they do it
Carl Linnaeus
- grouped organisms based on similarity in their features
- divided into taxonomic groups, originally Kingdom, Class. Order, Genus, species but has been modified and expanded
What is a domain
the highest taxonomic rank
three domains: archaea bacteria. eubacteria, eukaryote
What is a kingdom
five kingdoms:
plantae, Animalia, fungi, protoctista - eukaryotes
prokaryote
What is a phylum
group of organisms that all have the same body plan i.e. possession of backbone
chortada - nervous system protected by vertebal column
Arthropoda - hard exoskeleton and jointed limbs i.e insects and spiders
What is a class
a group of organisms that possess all the same general traits
i.e. the same number of legs
What is an order
sub-division of class using additional info about the organisms i.e. mammal is divided into Carnivora and herbivore
What is a family
a group of closely related genera
i.e. within Carnivora there is dogs and cats
What is a genus
A group of closely related species
What is a species
the basic unit of classification
- show some variation but are essentially the same
What happens as you decrease in taxonomic groups
Becomes increasingly difficult to separate closely related species and to place accurately
What is the binomial system
a system that uses the genus name and the species name to avoid confusion when classifying organisms
i.e. Homo sapiens
Homo - genus (always given uppercase first letter)
sapiens - species (written in italics/ underlined)
Why does grouping organisms with a common name not work
- same organisms may have different common names in different parts of one country
- different names are used in different countries
- translations of languages may give dialects different names
- same common name may be used for same species in different parts of the world
What is the universal language Linnaeus used
Latin
What is the biological definition of a species and what’s wrong with it
’ a group of organisms that can freely interbreed to produce fertile off spring’
-does not work for organisms that can reproduce asexually/ fossils
What is the phylogenetic definition of a species
’ a group of individual organisms that are very similar in appearance, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, genetics ‘
What do similar species all occupy
the same niche in an ecosystem
- this allowed for easier classification
- mistakes could still be made only could get even more accurate classification with microscopes
What organisms did not fit into their kingdoms with the 2 kingdom classification
fungi - roots but do not photosynthesise
euglena - can move and photosynthesise
What are the characteristics of an organism in the prokaryote kingdom
- have no nucleus
- loop of DNA that is not arranged in linear chromosomes
- naked DNA
- no membrane bound organelles
- smaller ribosomes then in other groups
- cells smaller than eukaryotes
- may be free living or parasitic
What are the characteristics of an organism in the protoctista kingdom
- eukaryotic
- single celled (many algae are multicellular though)
- variety of forms ( only common feature is don’t belong to any of the other four kingdoms)
- show various plant/ animal features
- mostly free-living
- autotrophic/ heterotrophic nutrition - some photosynthesize, some ingest prey, some feed using extracellular enzymes, some are parasites
What are the characteristics of an organism in the plantae kingdom
- eukaryotic
- multicellular
- cells surrounded by a cellulose cell wall
- autotrophic (absorb simple molecules and build them into larger organic molecules)
- contain chlorophyll
What are the characteristics of an organism in the Animalia kingdom
- eukaryotic
- multicellular
- heterotrophic ( digest large organisms to form smaller molecules for absorption)
- usually able to move around
What is convergent evolution
two organisms can adapt in the same way and look very similar
- could be grouped in the same taxonomic group based on observable characteristics
How are biological molecules used in classification
- two organisms with similar are closely related as they have not evolved separately for long
- differences reflect the evolutionary relationships - backed up scientific research and clarify
What is cytochrome C
used in respiration - in all living organisms that respire
How can cytochrome C be used to classify organisms
- not identical in all living species
- different sequences of amino acid allows scientists to draw conclusions:
If sequences are the same must be closely related
If different not so closely related
More differences the less closely related the species
How does cytochrome C differ in humans and different organisms
humans and chimpanzees identical - close
Humans and rhesus monkey, one difference - close
Humans and dogfish, 11 differences - not close
What is DNA
- provides the genetic code, the instruction for producing proteins
- universal - particular sequence of DNA codes for dame sequence of amino acids in all living organism
How can DNA be used in classification
- DNA can contain mutations
- compare DNA sequences- more similar the more closely related the two species
What is the three Domain classification
Carl Woese
- based ideas on RNA gene
- divided prokaryote into eubacteria and archaea bacteria