Diversity, Classification and Variation- Classification of Organisms Flashcards
What is phylogeny?
The study of the evolutionary history of groups of organisms
What does a phylogenetic tree show?
All organisms have evolved from shared common ancestors, shows the relationship between members of a family
What does the first branch point of a phylogenetic tree represent?
A common ancestor of all family members
What do branches close together show?
That they are closely related
What is taxonomy?
The science of classification
What does taxonomy involve?
Naming organisms and organising them into groups
What is the purpose of taxonomy?
Makes it easier to identify and study organisms
What are taxa?
Eight levels of groups used to classify organisms
How are taxa organised?
In a hierarchy, with the largest groups at the top and the smallest groups at the bottom
What are the three domains that organisms are first sorted into?
Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea
What are the eight taxa?
Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
What is a species?
A group of similar organisms able to reproduce to give fertile offspring
Why do scientists constantly update classification systems?
Because of discoveries about new species and new evidence about know organisms
What is the binomial system?
All organisms are given one internationally accepted scientific name in Latin that has two parts
What are the parts of a name in the binomial system?
First part is the genus name and has a capital letter, second part is the species name and begins with a lower case letter, names are always written in italics
