taxonomy Flashcards
what is taxonomy
a way of classifying living things based on the similarities and differences between them
what’s the order of the taxonomy categories
kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
characteristics of kingdom
based on organisms cells: animalia, plantae, fungi, prokaryote and Protoctista
characteristics of phylum
subdivision of kingdom
characteristics of class
group of animals with similar characteristics
characteristics of order
animals that have similar feeding types
characteristics of family
group of animals that have similar body shapes and characteristics
characteristics of genus
closely related animals
characteristics of species
a particular type of animal that is capable of producing fertile offspring
what is binomial nomenclature
a system for naming all living organisms using 2 latin names which are genus (with a capital) and species
what is a phylogenetic tree
it shows that some species share a common ancestor, and all its descendants, are together known as a clade
3 modern techniques for classification
genetics, biochemical, immunological, amino acid comparisons
name a subdivision of genetic classification
DNA sequencing
how does DNA sequencing work
looks at the code on the DNA. Species that are more closely related will have more similar DNA and proteins than distinctly related ones.
how does DNA hybridisation work
looks at how similar DNA is without having to look at the code itself. Hydrogen bonds, that hold DNA together, require heat to break. The higher the temperature needed to break hydrogen bonds, the more closely related the species is
how does biochemistry work
looks at substances produced in animals and the physiological processes occurring within them
how does immunological comparisons work
antibodies bind to specific antigens and proteins in the body. Related species will have more recognition between their antibodies and antigens
how does amino acid comparisons work
looks at the amino acids and proteins produced by a species as well as the nucleotide sequences they used to make them.
