Introduction, Classification, Prokaryotes

Question 1

Phylogeny

Answer 1

The evolutionary history of a species or group of species

Question 2

Systematics

Answer 2

A discipline focused on classifying organisms and determining their evolutionary relationships

Question 3

Taxonomy

Answer 3

How organisms are named and classified

Question 4

Taxon

Answer 4

The named taxonomic unit at any level of a hierarchy

Question 5

Biology

Answer 5

The scientific study of life

Question 6

Diversity

Answer 6

Variety

Question 7

Domain

Answer 7

A taxonomic category above the kingdom level. Archaea, bacteria and eukarya

Question 8

Kingdom

Answer 8

A taxonomic category, the second broadest after domain. 4 kingdoms: Protista, fungi, plantae and animalia

Question 9

Phylum

Answer 9

The taxonomic category above class

Question 10

Class

Answer 10

Taxonomic classification above order

Question 11

Order

Answer 11

Taxonomic class above family

Question 12

Family

Answer 12

Taxonomic category above genus

Question 13

Genus

Answer 13

Taxonomic category above species; designated by the first word of a species’ two part scientific name

Question 14

Species

Answer 14

A population or group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce viable, and fertile offspring, but do not produce viable, fertile offspring with members of other such groups

Question 15

Specific Epithet

Answer 15

The uncapitalized Latin adjective or noun that follows a capitalized genus name in binomial nomenclature and serves to distinguish a species from others in the same genus

Question 16

Extremophiles

Answer 16

An organism that lives in environmental
conditions so extreme that few
other species can survive there. Extremophiles
include extreme halophiles (“salt lovers”) and
extreme thermophiles (“heat lovers”).

Question 17

Methanogens

Answer 17

An organism
that produces methane as a waste product of
the way it obtains energy. All known methanogens
are in domain Archaea.

Question 18

Cyanobacteria

Answer 18

A phylum of domain bacteria, kingdom eubacteria. Often called blue-green algae due to their color, they obtain their energy through photosynthesis

Question 19

Monophyletic

Answer 19

Pertaining to a group of taxa that consists of a common

ancestor and all of its descendants. Equivalent to a clade.

Question 20

Polyphyletic

Answer 20

Pertaining to a group of taxa that includes distantly related organisms but does not include their most
recent common ancestor.

Question 21

Holophyletic

Answer 21

Same as monophyletic

Question 22

Paraphyletic

Answer 22

Pertaining to a group of taxa that consists of a common

ancestor and some, but not all, of its descendants.