Unity and Diversity of Life

Question 1

What are the four genetic letters in RNA?

Answer 1

Adenine, Uracil, Guanine, Cytosine

Question 2

How many amino acids are there and what are they?

Answer 2

20; sequences of DNA/RNA in numerous different proteins.

Question 3

What do biological universalities mean?

Answer 3

They suggest that life arose from inanimate matter only once and that all organisms (no matter how diverse they are) conserve the basic features of the primordial life.

Question 4

How many living species are there?

Answer 4

Estimates of 2-10 million.

Question 5

What is the study of biodiversity?

Answer 5

A measure of the variety of life; biodiversity changes over time.

Question 6

Who was the first person to use the term biodiversity in a paper?

Answer 6

EO Wilson, 1988.

Question 7

What three levels is biodiversity often described on?

Answer 7

1. Ecosystem diversity
2. Species diversity
3. Genetic diversity

Question 8

What is ecosystem diversity?

Answer 8

The description of the variety of habitats present

Question 9

What is species diversity?

Answer 9

A measure of the number of species and the number of individuals of each species present.

Question 10

What is genetic diversity?

Answer 10

Refers to the total amount of genetic variability present.

Question 11

What groups do we know the least amount of species of?

Answer 11

Bacteria (99%), Insects (98%), Algae (90%), Protozoans (80%).

Question 12

What groups do we know a lot of species of?

Answer 12

Birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, plants.

Question 13

Which groups are expected to have the highest amount of species?

Answer 13

Insects, bacteria, algae.

Question 14

Why is the exact amount of species not known?

Answer 14

1. Species counts are biased by our tendency to study certain organisms more than others.
2. The type of habitat or location may make counting species difficult.
3. Size often complicates the detection and counting of species.
4. Ambiguities in scientific classification impact species counts.

Question 15

Define Systematics.

Answer 15

The scientific study of the kinds and diversity of organisms and the relationships among them.

Question 16

What are the three sub-disciplines of Systematics?

Answer 16

Taxonomy, Nomenclature, Phylogenetics.

Question 17

What is Taxonomy?

Answer 17

The subdiscipline of Systematics concerned with the theory and practice of classifying organisms into taxa within a hierarchy.

Question 18

What is Nomenclature?

Answer 18

A subdiscipline of Systematics involving the process of using scientific names produced for a taxa at all hierarchal levels to provide a common ground in which biologists can communicate about specific taxa (the grammar of Systematics).

Question 19

What is Phylogenetics?

Answer 19

A subdiscipline of Systematics; the study of the evolutionary history or relationships of organisms.

Question 20

Who first attempted to classify life?

Answer 20

Aristotle. He saw that organisms were diverse, and some where more complex than others. He attempted to organize organisms into some type of framework by dividing living organisms into plants and animals, based on whether they had the ability to move or not. He further classified animals based on their modes of transportation (air, land, water). He’s credited with the sequential “ladder of life”.

Question 21

Who is John Ray?

Answer 21

A pioneer of plant taxonomy, he introduced the morphological classification system of plants (based on similarities/differences). His biological work consisted of studying 18,600 species. He classified flowing plants according to whether they had two seed leaves or only one. In 1693 he classified mammals with respect to teeth, hooves, and toes.

Question 22

Who was Carlous Linneaus?

Answer 22

18th Century, Swedish botanist with a passion for classification. He produced a complex system for species names and taxonomic hierarchy. In 1758 he established a system of naming organisms (binomial nomenclature).

Question 23

What are the rules of binomial nomenclature?

Answer 23

Each organism has only one name.

No two kinds of organisms near the same name.

Question 24

What are the two parts of the name (Binomen)?

Answer 24

1. Generic or genus name

2. Specific epithet (“trivial name”)

Question 25

What is the Law of Prioirty?

Answer 25

A law that says that if a genus or species has been accidentally given two names, only the earlier one is valid. The later name becomes a “junior synonym”.

Question 26

What are the four genetic letters in DNA?

Answer 26

Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, Cytosine

Question 27

What are Holotypes?

Answer 27

A single specimen designated as the name-bearing type of a species when it was established (by original author). The specimen to which all others are compared.

Question 28

What museums have the richest source of collections in the world?

Answer 28

Paris, London, and Washington.

Question 29

What is the purpose of museums?

Answer 29

To acquire, conserve, restore, manage, and exhibit very important collections of natural history, living organisms, inert collections and databases.
Specializing in taxonomy, identification, and conservation to work towards understanding diversity and its origin.

Question 30

What is the modern classification scheme (taxonomy hierarchy)?

Answer 30

1. Kingdom
2. Phylum
3. Class
4. Order
5. Family
6. Genus
7. Species

Question 31

What does a Phylogenetic tree do?

Answer 31

Link all organisms together.

Question 32

What are the four kingdoms in the domain Eukarya?

Answer 32

Protista, Plantae, Fungi, Animalia.

Question 33

What are included in the kingdom Protista?

Answer 33

Unicellular Protozoans and algae. Unicellular and multicellular.

Question 34

What are included in the kingdom Plantae?

Answer 34

Multicellular photosynthetic organisms.

Question 35

What are included in the kingdom fungi?

Answer 35

Multicellular, generally heterotrophic mushrooms, molds, and fungi.

Question 36

What are included in the kingdom Animalia?

Answer 36

Multicellular animals without cell walls and without photosynthetic pigments.