Inheritance, Variation, Evolution- Classification Flashcards
Define the term ‘classification’
The process of placing living organisms into groups
Name the two scientists who developed classification systems
Carl Linneaus
Carl Woese
How did Linnaeus categorise living organisms
living things classified into groups depending on their structure and characteristics
Place these groups into the correct order staring with the largest group Class Order Kingdom Species Phylum Genus Family
Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species
Give 2 reasons why some organisms have been reclassified in recent years
Evidence of internal structures has become more developed due to improvements in microscopes
Understanding of biochemical processes has progressed
This has caused new models of classification to be proposed.
Explain how Carl Woese’s classification differs from Carl Linnaeus’s system
Woese developed a 3 domain system
This includes 3 groups which are each larger than Kingdom
Name the 3 domains used in Woese’s classification system
Archaea
Bacteria
Eukaryota
Describe the type of organisms that are placed in the archaea domain
Simple prokaryotic bacteria
Generally found in extreme habitats e.g. hot springs, salt lakes
Describe the type of organisms that are placed in the bacteria domain
True bacteria
They look similar to archaea but carry out different biochemical reactions
E.g. E. coli, Staphylococcus
Describe the type of organisms that are placed in the eukaryota domain
Broad range of organisms
Includes animals, plants, fungi and protists
What is the term used to describe the naming system used in classification
Binomial system
What terms make up the binomial name of any organism
Genus followed by species
E.g. Humans are correctly named as Homo sapiens
Homo = Genus
sapiens = species
Describe how evolutionary relationships can be shown
By the use of evolutionary trees
How are organisms that are closely related to each other shown on an evolutionary tree?
They are shown coming off one branch of the tree The closer the branching the more closely related they are