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Biology > Taxonmy > Flashcards

Taxonmy Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The variety of life in a particular area, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans.

Biodiversity can be categorized into genetic, species, and ecosystem biodiversity.

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2
Q

What are the three levels of biodiversity?

A
  • Genetic biodiversity
  • Species biodiversity
  • Ecosystem biodiversity

Each level focuses on different aspects of biological variety.

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3
Q

Define genetic biodiversity.

A

The variety of individuals (or genes/DNA) in a population.

More genetic variation is found in healthy populations, aiding survival.

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4
Q

Why is genetic biodiversity important?

A

It ensures that certain individuals are more likely to survive environmental changes.

This concept relates to the principle of ‘survival of the fittest’.

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5
Q

Which branches of biology study genetic biodiversity?

A
  • Genetics
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Conservation

These fields focus on understanding genetic variation and its implications.

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6
Q

What is species biodiversity?

A

The variety of species in a particular area.

A species is defined as a group of like organisms capable of reproducing.

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7
Q

What defines a population in terms of species?

A

A group of the same species living in a particular area.

Populations are studied in fields like ecology and conservation.

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8
Q

What are endemic species?

A

Species that are indigenous and naturally found only in a particular area.

They are not found naturally anywhere else.

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9
Q

What is ecosystem biodiversity?

A

The variety of ecosystems found in a particular area.

Examples include different forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

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10
Q

Who typically studies ecosystem biodiversity?

A

Ecologists.

They focus on the interactions within ecosystems and their components.

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11
Q

How many species of plants and animals are estimated to exist on Earth?

A

Around 8.7 million species

This includes both identified and unidentified species.

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12
Q

What percentage of Earth’s species have been identified?

A

Approximately 1.2 million species

Most identified species are insects.

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13
Q

What are indigenous species?

A

Species that are naturally found in a particular area

Indigenous species are native to their environment.

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14
Q

Define endemic species.

A

Indigenous species that are found only in a particular area and nowhere else

Endemic species have a restricted distribution.

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15
Q

What are alien species?

A

Species that are living outside their natural range

Alien species are often introduced by human activity.

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16
Q

What are invasive alien species?

A

Alien species that establish and spread quickly, causing environmental or economic damage

They can disrupt local ecosystems.

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17
Q

What is biological classification?

A

The scientific process of grouping and organizing biodiversity

It helps in understanding the diversity of life.

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18
Q

What is taxonomy?

A

The science of identifying, describing, naming, and classifying organisms with shared features into taxa

Taxonomists perform this classification.

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19
Q

Define systematics.

A

The study of diversity and evolutionary relationships of taxa over time

It often involves the analysis of evolutionary patterns.

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20
Q

What do evolutionary biologists study in relation to taxonomy and systematics?

A

How different species or taxa evolved and their relationships

They explore common ancestry of all life on Earth.

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21
Q

What is a phylogenetic tree?

A

A diagram showing the lines of evolutionary descent of different taxa from a common ancestor

It illustrates how different taxa are related.

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22
Q

What is a taxon?

A

Any named group of organisms

The plural form is taxa.

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23
Q

True or False: Vast numbers of species are currently going extinct before they are discovered.

A

True

This highlights the importance of biodiversity conservation.

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24
Q

What is formal taxonomy?

A

A science that is internationally standardized for naming organisms

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25
Q

Why is formal taxonomy important for communication?

A

It prevents synonyms and is universal in language

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26
Q

What are some key reasons for using a formal system of taxonomy?

A
  • Ease of communication
  • Document biodiversity
  • Better understanding of evolution
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27
Q

How does formal taxonomy aid in biodiversity conservation?

A

It helps identify and document existing diversity

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28
Q

Who was the first to formulate a somewhat scientific approach to biological classification?

A

Aristotle

29
Q

What did Aristotle call his view of the hierarchy of organisms?

A

The ‘Ladder of Nature’

30
Q

According to Aristotle, what are the two major groups of organisms?

A
  • Plants
  • Animals
31
Q

What characteristics did Aristotle attribute to plants?

A

They are usually green, stationary, can reproduce, and grow

32
Q

What distinguishes animals from plants in Aristotle’s classification?

A

Animals can move, search for food, and experience sensation

33
Q

True or False: Aristotle recognized the existence of one-celled organisms.

A

False

34
Q

Fill in the blank: Aristotle thought that animals are higher-level organisms because they can _______.

A

move around

35
Q

What did Aristotle believe allows animals to survive better than plants?

A

The ability to leave unfavorable environments

36
Q

How did people living close to nature classify organisms?

A

According to their needs and local importance

37
Q

Who were the notable figures in botany that dominated scientific classification for 1,400 years?

A

Aristotle and Theophrastus

Aristotle’s method heavily influenced scientific classification until the 19th century.

38
Q

What was the common issue with naming organisms before the 19th century?

A

Lack of a common naming system

Each scientist had their own naming style based on perceived important characteristics.

39
Q

What language was predominantly used for naming organisms before the standardization of nomenclature?

A

Latin

Latin was the language of learning and scholarship during this time.

40
Q

What is the binomial system of nomenclature?

A

A naming system using two words: genus and species

Introduced by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758.

41
Q

In what year did Carolus Linnaeus establish his rules for naming organisms?

A

1758

This year marks the formal introduction of the binomial nomenclature system.

42
Q

What are the taxonomic ranks introduced by Linnaeus?

A

Kingdom, class, order, genus, species

These ranks organize organisms from greatest to smallest diversity.

43
Q

What does the term ‘binomial’ refer to in the binomial system of nomenclature?

A

Two parts

‘Nomenclature’ refers to naming.

44
Q

What are the rules for writing species names in binomial nomenclature?

A
  • Genus name capitalized
  • Species epithet in lowercase
  • Both italicized or underlined

Example: Panthera pardus.

45
Q

How can the genus name be abbreviated after its first mention?

A

To its first letter

For example, Panthera pardus can be shortened to P. pardus.

46
Q

What should be written in place of the species epithet when the species name is unknown?

A

sp.

For example, Panthera sp. indicates an unknown species within the genus Panthera.

47
Q

True or False: The original naming of organisms was concise and standardized.

A

False

Naming was often lengthy and varied among scientists.

48
Q

What significant contribution did Linnaeus make to the field of taxonomy?

A

Developed taxonomic keys for identifying organisms

His keys made it easier to classify plants and animals.

49
Q

What is the priority rule for naming species in scientific papers?

A

The first time a name for a species is published takes priority over any other names.

50
Q

What is a taxon?

A

Any named group of organisms, regardless of rank.

51
Q

List the commonly used taxonomic ranks from highest to lowest.

A
  • domain
  • kingdom
  • phylum
  • class
  • order
  • family
  • genus
  • species
52
Q

What is the purpose of taxonomic keys?

A

To identify specimens by listing features that can be compared to an unknown organism.

53
Q

What is a dichotomous key?

A

A key that has pairs of statements about characteristics used for identification.

54
Q

Who proposed the Kingdom Protista and when?

A

Ernst Haeckel in 1866.

55
Q

What are the five kingdoms in the five kingdom system?

A
  • Monera
  • Protista
  • Fungi
  • Plantae
  • Animalia
56
Q

What types of organisms are included in the Kingdom Monera?

A

Prokaryotic organisms such as Bacteria and Archaea.

57
Q

Who added fungi and bacteria kingdoms to the classification system and when?

A

Robert Whittaker in 1969.

58
Q

What are the three domains in the three domain system?

A
  • Bacteria
  • Archaea
  • Eukarya
59
Q

What type of organisms does the domain Archaea include?

A

Unique prokaryotes living in extreme environments.

60
Q

What is the significance of Carl Woese’s discovery in 1977?

A

He discovered archaebacteria, leading to a revised three-domain system.

61
Q

Fill in the blank: The most commonly used taxonomic rank below kingdom is _______.

A

phylum

62
Q

True or False: Linnaeus recognized more than two kingdoms in his classification system.

A

False

63
Q

What was the immediate impact of Darwin’s theory on taxonomic classifications?

A

Understanding of evolution did not immediately change taxonomic classifications

However, it did alter the significance of taxa.

64
Q

What hypothesis is generated when two groups of organisms share the same characteristics?

A

The grouped organisms are related to each other evolutionarily; they share a common ancestor

This reflects the concept of common ancestry in evolution.

65
Q

What do modern systematists use to group organisms?

A

Shared characteristics due to shared common ancestry

This contrasts with grouping based on overall similarity.

66
Q

What is the difference between homologous characteristics and overall similarity?

A

Homologous characteristics indicate common ancestry, while overall similarity may not

For example, a worm and a snake may be grouped by shape, but a snake and a rat share more meaningful traits.

67
Q

Fill in the blank: Organisms are grouped based on _______.

A

shared characteristics due to shared common ancestry

68
Q

True or False: Grouping organisms by overall similarity is the same as grouping them by homologous characteristics.

A

False

Overall similarity does not necessarily indicate evolutionary relationships.

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