Identification and Taxonomy

Question 1

What is taxonomy?

Answer 1

• Taxonomy involves the identification and naming of organisms and their classification into groups based on shared characteristics.
• Familiarity with taxonomic groupings allows predictions and inferences to be made about the biology of an organism from better-known (model) organisms.

Question 2

What is phylogenetics?

Answer 2

• Phylogenetics uses heritable traits such as morphology, DNA sequences, and protein structure to make inferences about an organism’s evolutionary history and create phylogeny (phylogenetic tree).
• Genetic evidence can reveal relatedness obscured by divergent or convergent evolution.

Question 3

What is convergent evolution?

Answer 3

• Convergent evolution is the process in which organisms that are not closely related independently evolve similar features.
• Adaptions may take the form of similar body forms, colors, organs and other adaptions which make up the organism’s phenotype.

Question 4

What are the divisons of the plant kingdom?

Answer 4

• Mosses
• Liverworts
• Ferns
• Conifers
• Flowering Plants

Question 5

What are the divisions of the animal kingdom (that you need to know)?

Answer 5

• Chordata (sea squirts and vertebrates)
• Arthropoda (joint legged invertebrates: segmented body with paired appendages)
• Nemotoda (round worm: very diverse, many parasitic)

Question 6

What are model organisms?

Answer 6

• Model organisms from all taxonomic groups are used to obtain information that can be applied to species that are more difficult to study directly.
• Model organisms are those that are either easily studied or have been well studied (eg. E. Coli, mice).