Diversity

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

Biodiversity is the variety of life found in a place on Earth.

There are Three Types…
Genetic Diversity: Variety present at the level of the gene. (Think in terms of alleles, genes or even chromosomes)

Species Diversity: The variety or abundance of species in a given area. Each species has its ecological niche to fill ( role to play ). Addition or loss of species have effects on ecosystems as a whole. This is what biodiversity mostly focuses on.

Ecosystem Diversity: The diversity of Ecosystems in the biosphere. This includes abiotic and biotic factors.

Question 2

Classifying Organisms

Answer 2

We classify living things in order to get a better understanding of evolutionary relationships, and to identify similarities and differences between living things.

We break down classifications into different levels, or a hierarchy. The most common way of classifying organisms is by KINGDOMS (there are 6)

Question 3

Classifying Organisms: Kingdoms

Answer 3

Two major cell types are represented: Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes.

Kingdoms include: Eubacteria, Archae, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.

Question 4

Prokaryotes

Answer 4

Cells are a smaller, simpler type of cell that do not have a membrane-bound nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles. prokaryotic cells can be found in bacteria and archaea.

→ Generally smaller than Eukaryotes

Question 5

Eukaryotes

Answer 5

EUKARYOTIC cells are a larger, more complex cell that do have a membrane-bound nucleus.

Question 6

Domain

Answer 6

The most top-level classification in taxonomy. The classification is based on differences in the sequences of nucleotides in the cell’s ribosomal RNAs (rRNA), as well as the cell’s membrane lipid structure and its sensitivity to antibiotics.

There are Three Domains: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya

Question 7

Classification of Organisms: Taxonomy

Answer 7

Taxonomy – the area of biology dealing with the classification of organisms

→ In the mid-1700s Carolus Linnaeus developed a hierarchy (ranking system) for classifying organisms based on morphology (form and structure).
→ Related organisms were placed in the same group or taxon (plural – taxa)
→ Linnaeus used Latin names to name each taxon as this was the language of ‘educated’ ppl. of the time.

Question 8

Binomial Nomenclature

Answer 8

Biologists today still use Linnaeus’ method of naming each species with two words (the genus name, followed by the species name)
→ E.g. – Homo sapiens
→ When writing names using binomial nomenclature, both words are to either be italicized or underlined (if printing on paper)
→ The genus name should always be capitalized, and the species name should not

Why is Binomial Nomenclature Necessary?
→ Common names can be very misleading about the taxonomy of an organism
→ E.g. shellfish, starfish, jellyfish, crayfish, and catfish all live in water but are VERY different from each other and belong in completely different phyla from one another

Question 9

Classifying Organisms: Kingdoms

Answer 9

Organisms are placed in kingdoms based on similarities or common characteristics. Some of the characteristics that are used to determine placement are cell type, nutrient acquisition, and reproduction.

There are 6 Kingdoms: Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia

Question 10

Order of Taxonomy

Answer 10

Domain → Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species

Goes from Very general to very specific