classification systems Flashcards
state the taxonomic hierarchy in order of largest to smallest
domain
kingdom
phylum
class
order
family
genus
species
describe the ‘phylum’
major subdivision of the kingdom containing all groups of organisms that have the same body plan
describe ‘class’
a group of organisms which posses the same general traits, for example: arachnids have 8 legs
why are organisms classified?
- to identify species
- to predict characteristics
- to find evolutionary links
what is a ‘species’
a group of organisms with similar characteristics that are able to reproduce fertile offspring
how are species named (binomial nomenclature)
first word = organisms genus
second word = organisms species
- written in italics or underlined
why is classification important? (3 points)
- enables scientists to share information
- provides information about an organism based on members of the same group
- allows accurate identification of an organism
what is the advantage of the binomial naming system
avoids confusion between scientists around the world - common names may differ from country to country
ligers are the offspring of male lions and female tigers. why are they not considered a species?
- lion and tiger are classed as species - they can reproduce fertile offspring
- ligers cannot reproduce more ligers so are not considered a species.
define taxonomy
study of naming and classifying groups of of biological organisms based on shared characteristics
define taxonomic group
hierarchical group of classification
