Classification of Organisms Flashcards
What is classification?
Classification is the grouping of objects of organisms based on given characteristics.
The process of classification.
The process of classification is called taxonomy.
The eight levels of classification?
Domain kingdom phylum class order family genus species
Who came up with the current type of classification?
Carolus Linnaeus
Naming system that Linnaeus invented?
Binomial nomenclature
What are prokaryotes?
Prokaryotes are uni or multicellular organisms made up of cells that do not have a nuclear envelope.
There are two main groups, namely: Bacteria and Archaea.
What are Eukaryotes ?
Eukaryotes are organisms whose cells possess a membrane bound nucleus that holds genetic material. Examples include: plants, animals, fungi protists.
What are the five kingdoms?
Five kingdoms are: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista and Monera (Bacteria).
Describe the kingdom Monera
● The Kingdom Monera consists of prokaryotic, unicellular organisms.
● No nuclear membrane or membrane-bound organelles such as chloroplasts, Golgi complex, mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum are present.
● Monera have a cell wall of protein plus polysaccharide compound, but not cellulose.
● They reproduce asexually by binary fission.Important examples of Monera include Archaea and Bacteria.
Describe the kingdom Protista
● Protista are eukaryotic and can be unicellular or simple multicellular.
● They reproduce sexually or asexually.
● Important examples of protists include the organism known as Plasmodium (which causes malaria), Amoeba and Euglena.
● There are two major groups of protists which include the Protozoans, whose cells are similar to animal cells in that they do not have cell walls and the plant- like cells which do have cell walls and are similar to algae.
Describe the kingdom fungi.
Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that can be multicellular or unicellular.
Mushrooms and moulds are examples of multicellular fungi and yeast is an example of a unicellular fungi.
All fungi have a cell wall made of chitin.
They are non-motile (not capable of movement) and consist of threads called hyphae.
Fungi are heterotrophic organisms which means they require organic compounds of carbon and nitrogen for nourishment.
They are important as decomposers (saprophytes) and can be parasitic. They store carbon as glycogen, not in the form of starch.
Fungi reproduce sexually and asexually by spore formation.
An important example of a useful fungus is Penicillium (a fungus which was used to make penicillin, one of the most powerful antibiotics ever created).
Describe the kingdom Plantae
● Organisms belonging to the plant kingdom are eukaryotic and multicellular organisms.
● They have a distinct cell wall made of cellulose.
● Cells are organised into true plant tissues.
● Plants contain plastids and photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll.
● They are non-motile.
● Plants make their own food by photosynthesis and are therefore said to be autotrophic.
● Plants undergo both sexual and asexual reproduction.
● They store food as starch. Important examples of plants are mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants.
Describe the kingdom Animalia
● Members of the animal kingdom are eukaryotic and multicellular but have no cell wall or photosynthetic pigments.
● They are mostly motile and they are heterotrophic, which means they must feed on other organisms and cannot make their own food.
● They reproduce sexually or asexually.
● Animals store carbon as glycogen and fat.
● Important examples of this kingdom include:
Describe the phylum arthropods
They are invertebrates.
Have waterproof exoskeletons
They have a segmented body and jointed legs
Describe the Phylum Arthropoda and class Insecta.
They have three pairs of jointed legs have one or two pairs of wings I have one pair of antennae They have three body parts : a head,thorax and abdomen They have one pair of compound eyes They breathe through tracheae.
