Topic 2 Part 1 - The diversity of life Flashcards
What is a kingdom?
A kingdom is a group of species which have certain characteristics in common.
N^0 = What?
1
N^-a = What
1/N^a
N^a = What
1/N^-a
N^a * N^b = What
N^a+b
N^a / N^b = What
N^a-b
(N^m)^n = What
N^m*n
When multiplying and dividing by numbers with Significant figures and they are to different precisions what one should you use in your answer?
The one with the lease precise number. E.g. if one is 2 sf and the other is 3 sf then your answer should be 2 sf.
If your answer is 300, how would you show this in scientific notation with 2 significant figures?
It would be 3.0 x 10^2
What is a species?
A form of life (or a type of organism)
What is an organism?
is an individual living thing
What is morphology
is a branch of biology dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features. It is mainly based on there appearance
Where did life begin
In the sea, about 3,000 million years ago
What event took place that led to the development of the earliest living cells around 3000 million years ago?
Complex chemicals started to clump together to form cells
How did the earliest cells reproduce?
They split, i.e. they divided themselves into two.
Do any living things still reproduce in a similar way today?
Bacteria reproduce by dividing in two.
What common feature did the first ‘multicelled’ organisms develop?
The first multicelled organisms had a body with an internal cavity.
The multicelled organisms living in the sea started to ‘diversify’ – this means producing different types of life form. What types of life form were described?
Some organisms developed a mouth that opened into a gut, others developed a stiff internal rod and sense organs, and some became segmented.
What type of organism was among the first to live on land?
Insects.
Over 350 million years ago amphibians first ventured onto land. How did they evolve to be able to do this?
Amphibians evolved from fish that had developed a backbone and weight-supporting legs from their fins and which were able to breathe air from the water’s surface.
How do reptiles differ from amphibians?
Reptiles evolved to have dry scaly skins and the ability to lay eggs with watertight shells on land. In contrast, their amphibian ancestors had wet skins and needed to return to water to lay eggs.
What is Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the ranking or organisation of living things
What is taxa, (taxon: singular)
It is what all living things are classified into, these are ranks in the taxonomy
What is the top taxon?
Domain
Who introduced the three domain system?
Carl Woese
In the three-domain system what are the three domains?
Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya
What are the two types of cells?
prokaryotic and eukaryotic
What type of cell is Bacteria domain composed of?
Prokaryotic
What distinguishes a Prokaryotic cell?
Prokaryotic cells do not have separate internal compartments.
What type of cell is Eukarya domain composed of?
The Eukarya domain is composed of eukaryotic cells.
What distinguishes a Eukaryotic cell?
Eukaryotic cells are more developed than prokaryotic cells and have their internal contents packaged up within compartments in the cell
Why is Archaea domains confusing?
because archaea cells can be classified as prokaryotic based on their physical structure (i.e. they do not have internal cellular compartments), yet they also have similarities with eukaryotic cells on a genetic level.
Why can Archaea be classified in there own domain?
Because they share characteristics of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic
What do some taxonomist classify Archaea as?
Prokaryotic
Similarities between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
both cell types have a cell membrane
both cell types have genetic material
Differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
prokaryotic cells do not have separate internal compartments; eukaryotic cells have internal compartments
prokaryotic cells do not have a defined nucleus; eukaryotic cells have genetic material within a defined nucleus
Define Domain (Domains)
All of ‘life’ is classified into three domains: Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya.
What Domain is human part of?
Humans are part of the Eukarya domain
What is kingdom?
The second highest taxonomic rank for living organisms is kingdom. It is generally accepted that there are six kingdoms. Organisms are placed into kingdoms according to their ability to make food and their cellular structure
What is the kingdom of Archaea domain?
Archaea also called Archaebacteria
What is the kingdom of Bacteria Domain?
Bacteria
What is the four kingdoms from Eukarya Domain?
Animalia, Plantae, Fungi and Protista.
What kingdom are humans a part of?
Animalia
What is Phylum (phyla)
The third taxonomic rank for living organisms is phylum
What Phylum are humans a part of?
Chordata
What do all Chordata’s have in common?
All chordates have a backbone at some point in their life.
What is Class (Classes)
The fourth taxonomic rank for living organisms is class
What class are humans from?
Mammalia because we are mammals
What is Order? (Taxonomy)
Order is the fifth Taxonomic rank for living organisms
What Order are humans from?
Humans are part of the ‘primate’ order, which means ape-like animals, in the animal kingdom.
What is Family (Families)? (Taxonomy)
The sixth taxonomic rank for living organisms is family.
What Family are humans from?
Humans are classified as ‘hominids’ or ‘human-like animals’.
What is Genus (Genera)? (Taxonomy)
The seventh and penultimate taxonomic rank for living organisms is genus.
What Genus are humans from?
Homo
What is Species? (Taxonomy)
The final taxonomic rank and the basic unit of biological classification is species.
What Species are humans from?
sapiens
What is the binomial name of humans
Homo sapiens
What is important to note when writing Binomial names?
It is important to note that the binomial name is written in italics and the first name has an initial capital letter.
What does binomial mean?
It is a system of naming animals and means “Two-Name”
What are the two parts of the binomial systems made up from?
the genus and the species
Are plants made up of prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells?
Plants are made up of eukaryotic cells.
Why are green plants essential for the survival of animals on Earth?
Green plants are essential for the survival of animals because animals cannot get energy directly from the sun. Herbivore animals get their energy by eating plants, whilst carnivores eat other animals, which have eaten plants. Animals also need oxygen, produced by plants, in the atmosphere to survive.
Bacteria additional notes
first life forms on Earth
classified according to their shape and Gram staining technique
Archaea additional notes
found in extreme environments
Protista additional notes
very diverse group
Plantae additional notes
contain chlorophyll and undergo photosynthesis
Fungi additional notes
essential for decomposition
Animalia additional notes
the most diverse group with over one million classified species
What does autotrophic mean
An organism capable of making its own nutritive organic molecules from inorganic materials
What does heterotroph mean?
need to eat other organisms to get energy
What does saprophytes mean?
a plant, fungus, or microorganism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter.
What does insectivorous mean?
An animal that feeds on insects
