L2 Flashcards
What is taxonomy?
The science of classifying organisms into categories based on shared characteristics, arranged hierarchically to reflect relationships.
How are taxonomic categories structured?
They are arranged in a hierarchy, with categories such as Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species, reflecting degrees of relationship.
What types of characters are used in taxonomy?
Morphological traits, DNA sequences, and amino acid sequences.
What is systematics?
The study of biological diversity and evolutionary relationships among taxa, integrating taxonomy with phylogenetic analysis.
How do phylogenetic trees illustrate relationships among taxa?
They depict the evolutionary history based on morphological or molecular data, showing relatedness among organisms.
What are some problems associated with using morphological characters in phylogenetics?
Convergent evolution, limited fossil records, and morphological variability across life stages.
What is the significance of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) rDNA region?
It is recognized as the primary fungal barcode for identifying and classifying fungal species.
What challenges exist when selecting barcode loci for phylogenetic studies?
Issues include resolution levels, the close relation of species, and the availability and quality of reference sequences.
Define biological species concept.
A group of individuals capable of interbreeding and producing viable offspring, reproductively isolated from other groups.
What is a key challenge in defining species in fungi?
The difficulty of growing fungi in vitro and confirming biological definitions due to morphological similarities.
Explain the terms anamorph, teleomorph, and holomorph in fungal nomenclature.
Anamorph refers to the asexual stage, teleomorph to the sexual stage, and holomorph to the complete life cycle of a fungus.
Anamorph (asexual phase) + Teleomorph (sexual phase) = Holomorph
What are some historical challenges in fungal nomenclature?
Multiple names for the same species due to different morphological stages and historical usage complicate classification.
How has nomenclature for fungi evolved since 2013?
Fungi can only have one officially recognized name, ending the practice of multiple nomenclatures for species with anamorph and teleomorph stages.
Describe the ecological roles of oomycetes.
They can be saprophytes, parasites, or pathogens, found in various environments including damp soils and freshwater.
Contrast the cell wall composition of oomycetes and true fungi.
Oomycetes have cell walls made of cellulose and glucans, while true fungi have chitin and glucans.
What are some economically significant diseases caused by oomycetes?
Late blight of potato (Phytophthora infestans), downy mildew of grape vine (Plasmopara viticola), and sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum).
How does the definition of species differ between morphologists and geneticists?
Morphologists often rely on morphological characteristics, while geneticists use biological definitions based on reproductive isolation.
Discuss the implications of convergent evolution in taxonomy and phylogenetics.
It can lead to misinterpretations of phylogenetic relationships due to similar traits evolving independently in different taxa.
primary fungal barcode
Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) rDNA region
Secondary barcode gene loci include:
- Ribosomal Large Subunit (LSU)
- Actin (ACT)
- Beta-tubulin (TUB2)
- Translation elongation factor 1 (TEF1) and others
what are Order Agaricales. what are the 6 types of _ morphology
gilled mushrooms
free, adnate, adnexed, sinuate,
decurrent, emarginate
What are the seven major phyla of fungi
Microsporidia, Chytridiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Glomeromycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota.
What characterizes the phylum Microsporidia?
Microsporidia are single-celled animal parasites.
What type of fungi does the phylum Chytridiomycota include?
Chytridiomycota includes zoosporic fungi, which produce motile spores.
What is the defining feature of Blastocladiomycota?
Blastocladiomycota also consists of zoosporic fungi that share similarities with Chytridiomycota.
What ecological role do Neocallimastigomycota fungi play?
Neocallimastigomycota are anaerobic fungi found in the digestive systems of herbivores.
What type of fungi are included in the phylum Glomeromycota?
Glomeromycota comprises endomycorrhizal fungi, which form symbiotic relationships with plant roots.
what are the main characteristics of Ascomycota?
Ascomycota, known as sac fungi, produce spores in a sac-like structure called an ascus.
What distinguishes Basidiomycota from other fungal phyla?
Basidiomycota, known as club fungi, produce spores on a club-shaped structure called a basidium.
