Biology Taxonomy and Classification Quiz

Classification System

• A framework used by biologists for studying life’s diversity, naming organisms, and logically organizing them.

Taxonomy

• The scientific study concerned with classifying organisms and assigning universally accepted names.

Carolus Linnaeus

• A Swedish botanist recognized for creating binomial nomenclature, a two-word naming system for species.

Binomial Nomenclature

• Each species gets a two-part scientific name; the first word is capitalized (genus) and the second is lowercase (specific description). Example: Ursus maritimus.

LSC (Linnaeus' System of Classification)

• This system categorizes organisms based on structural similarities and operates within a hierarchical structure consisting of seven levels, from broadest to most specific.

Kingdom

• The most inclusive and largest category in Linnaeus's taxonomy, providing the broadest description of an organism.

Phylum

• Represents a category that includes multiple organisms sharing significant characteristics; phyla collectively create kingdoms.

Class

• Comprises groups of similar orders; multiple classes exist within a phylum.

Order

• A broader category made up of similar families; orders are subdivisions of classes.

Family

• Contains genera that exhibit shared traits, forming a constituent of orders.

Genus

• Encompasses closely related species and is the first part of the binomial nomenclature.

Species

• Defined as a population of organisms with similar traits capable of breeding to produce fertile offspring.

Cladistic Analysis

• A method for identifying and analyzing characteristics that evolve in organisms over time.

Derived Characteristics

• Features that have emerged in recent parts of evolutionary lineage, differing from those of older ancestors due to mutations and evolutionary change.

Cladograms

• Diagrams that utilize derived characteristics to illustrate the evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms.