Taxonomy and Classification Concepts

Questions and Answers

What is Taxonomy?

the branch of biology that classifies organisms

What is phylogeny?

the evolutionary relationships that exist between organisms

What is a kingdom?

organism organized in groups

What is a species?

one type of organism Signup and view all the answers

What is a phylum?

subdivision of kingdom in the animal kingdom Signup and view all the answers

What is a division?

subdivision of kingdom in the plant kingdom Signup and view all the answers

What are the Seven levels of classification?

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species Signup and view all the answers

Who was the first to attempt a scientific classification of the organisms on Earth?

carolus Signup and view all the answers

On what basis did this person classify living organisms?

plants and animals Signup and view all the answers

What is the system of naming that involves giving an organism a two-part name?

binomial nomenclature Signup and view all the answers

What are the two parts to binomial nomenclature?

kingdom, phylum Signup and view all the answers

What language is the scientific name written in?

latin Signup and view all the answers

How is the classification process used by modern taxonomists different from the methods used by Linnaeus?

modern taxonomists look at morphology, cellular organization, evolutionary relationships, biochemical similarities, genetic similarities, and embryological similarities. Linnaeus only looked at morphology. Signup and view all the answers

Why should the use of common names be avoided when classifying living organisms?

Common names are confusing and very misleading Signup and view all the answers

What is a molecular clock?

a system that uses DNA comparisons to estimate the length of time that two species have been evolving independently Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a derived character?

hair in mammals Signup and view all the answers

What is the evolutionary relationship between two organisms determined by?

shared derived characters Signup and view all the answers

What is the system of classification that is based on shared derived characters?

cladistics Signup and view all the answers

What is Eubacteria?

Cell type: prokaryotic, cellular organization: unicellular, method of getting food: autotroph and heterotroph Signup and view all the answers

What is Archaebacteria?

Cell type: prokaryotic, cellular organization: unicellular, method of getting food: autotroph and heterotroph Signup and view all the answers

What is Protista?

Cell type: eukaryotic, cellular organization: mostly unicellular, some colonial and multicellular, method of getting food: autotroph and heterotroph Signup and view all the answers

What is Plantae?

Cell type: eukaryotic, cellular organization: multicellular, method of getting food: autotroph Signup and view all the answers

What is Fungi?

Cell type: eukaryotic, cellular organization: mostly multicellular, some unicellular, method of getting food: heterotroph Signup and view all the answers

What is Animalia?

Cell type: eukaryotic, cellular organization: multicellular, method of getting food: heterotroph Signup and view all the answers

What is Domain Bacteria?

Cell walls composed of peptidoglycans Signup and view all the answers

What is Domain Archaea?

Live in extreme environments. No peptidoglycans in the cell wall. They also have different membrane structure Signup and view all the answers

What is Domain Eukarya?

Possesses a nuclear membrane and other membrane-bound organelles Signup and view all the answers

Why are 'catch-all' and 'odds and ends' appropriate nicknames for the Protista kingdom?

The Protista kingdom contains organisms that do not fit into any other kingdom Signup and view all the answers

In what ways are the Archaebacteria different than the Eubacteria?

Eubacteria: Cell walls composed of peptidoglycans. Archaebacteria: Live in extreme environments. No peptidoglycans in the cell wall. Different membrane structure. Signup and view all the answers

Why are the Fungi not placed in the plant kingdom?

Fungi's cell walls are composed of chitin. Plants have a cell wall of cellulose. The fungi have no chloroplasts and cannot carry on photosynthesis. Fungi are heterotrophs. Plants are autotrophs. Signup and view all the answers

Why do the protists, fungi, plants, and animals share a domain?

All are eukaryotic Signup and view all the answers

Which kingdoms contain only organisms that are multicellular?

Plantae and Animalia Signup and view all the answers

Which kingdoms contain only organisms that are heterotrophic?

Fungi and Animalia Signup and view all the answers

This part of the scientific name is always capitalized.

genus Signup and view all the answers

This term refers to the structure of an organism.

morphology Signup and view all the answers

This kingdom contains the heterotrophic plants.

fungi Signup and view all the answers

The most recent addition to the levels of classification; it is essentially a 'superkingdom'.

domain Signup and view all the answers

A diagram that uses derived characters to show the relationship among a group of organisms.

cladogram Signup and view all the answers

The evolutionary history of an organism.

phylogeny Signup and view all the answers

Kingdom to which the very ancient often extreme bacteria belong.

archae bacteria Signup and view all the answers

A system of naming that assigns each organism a two part name.

binomial nomenclature Signup and view all the answers

Swedish naturalist who developed the classification system we use today.

carolus linnaeus Signup and view all the answers

The system developed by Linnaeus was based on ____________ similarity.

structural Signup and view all the answers

The original system of classification had only 2 kingdoms. What third kingdom was added in the late 1880s?

protista Signup and view all the answers

The second level of classification in the system developed by Linnaeus.

phylum Signup and view all the answers

Domain to which the true bacteria belong.

bacteria Signup and view all the answers

This part of the scientific name is always written in lower case letters.

species Signup and view all the answers

The fourth level of classification in the system developed by Linnaeus.

order Signup and view all the answers

The _________ level are divisions of an order.

family Signup and view all the answers

Scientist responsible for the theory of Natural Selection.

charles darwin Signup and view all the answers

A phylum is divided in several ____________.

classes Signup and view all the answers

Kingdom to which the true bacteria belong.

eubacteria Signup and view all the answers

If two organisms can mate and produce fertile offspring, they are placed in the same ________.

species Signup and view all the answers

These structures are reduced in size and seem to be 'leftovers' from a previous ancestor.

vestigial Signup and view all the answers

Greek philosopher who first tried to classify living organisms.

aristotle Signup and view all the answers

Term meaning that a cell possesses neither a nucleus nor membrane-bound organelles.

prokaryotic Signup and view all the answers

These structures are similar in function, but different in structure.

analogous Signup and view all the answers

The branch of biology that classifies organisms and assigns each organism a universally accepted name.

taxonomy Signup and view all the answers

In the system developed by Linnaeus, how many kingdoms existed?

two Signup and view all the answers

The highest, or broadest, level of classification in the system developed by Linnaeus.

kingdom Signup and view all the answers

Currently, scientists are using a system that consists of how many domains?

three Signup and view all the answers

This kingdom contains mushrooms and molds.

fungi Signup and view all the answers

This kingdom contains all green, photosynthetic plants.

plantae Signup and view all the answers

This kingdom contains organisms such as algae and the protozoa.

protista Signup and view all the answers

Organisms best suited for their environment will most likely survive, reproduce, and pass these traits on to their offspring. This is known as _______.

natural selection Signup and view all the answers

The greater number of _________ structures two organisms share, the more closely related they are thought to be.

homologous Signup and view all the answers

A family tree that shows the evolutionary relationships thought to exist among different groups of organisms.

phylogenetic tree Signup and view all the answers

A model that uses DNA comparisons to estimate the length of time that two species have been evolving independently.

molecular clock Signup and view all the answers

In the system developed by Linnaeus, how many levels of classification are there?

seven Signup and view all the answers

An organism that is placed at the bottom of a phylogenetic tree is the _______ of the organisms placed above it.

common ancestor Signup and view all the answers

The organisms in this kingdom have no cell walls, no chloroplasts and are heterotrophs.

animalia Signup and view all the answers

This kingdom contains thermophiles that can live in hot boiling water.

archae bacteria Signup and view all the answers

This kingdom contains bacteria such as strep and staph.

eubacteria Signup and view all the answers

Domain to which all cells possessing nuclei and membrane-bound organelles belong.

eukarya Signup and view all the answers

The sixth level of classification in the system developed by Linnaeus.

genus Signup and view all the answers

A feature that evolved only within a particular group, such as feathers in birds.

derived character Signup and view all the answers

Term meaning that a cell possesses a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

eukaryotic Signup and view all the answers

Domain to which the very ancient and often extreme bacteria belong.

archaea Signup and view all the answers

Using _______, such as starfish or catfish, are very confusing and should be eliminated from scientific classification systems.

common names Signup and view all the answers

What cellular characteristic is shared by the true bacteria and the archaea bacteria?

prokaryotic Signup and view all the answers

All scientific names are written in this language.

Latin Signup and view all the answers

These structures are similar in structure but different in function.

homologous Signup and view all the answers

This kingdom contains some organisms that are both animal-like and plant-like.

protista Signup and view all the answers

The final level of classification.

species Signup and view all the answers

The newest method of classification; it uses 'shared derived characters' to show evolutionary relationships.

cladistics Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Key Concepts in Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the branch of biology that classifies organisms into structured groups.
Phylogeny refers to the evolutionary relationships among organisms.
The primary groups of classification include Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Levels and Systems of Classification

The seven levels of classification are essential for organizing biological diversity.
Carolus Linnaeus pioneered scientific classification, initially categorizing organisms into two kingdoms: plants and animals.
Binomial nomenclature is a two-part naming system that assigns each organism a unique scientific name, typically in Latin.
The first part of the scientific name represents the genus, and the second part represents the species.

Characteristics of Living Organisms

Modern taxonomy relies on various similarities, including morphology, biochemical, genetic, and embryological evidence, unlike Linnaeus's focus solely on morphology.
Common names can be misleading, making precise scientific classification critical.

Domains and Kingdoms

Organisms are classified into three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
Each domain contains specific kingdoms, such as Eubacteria (true bacteria) and Archaebacteria (ancient bacteria).
Protista is often viewed as a catch-all category for organisms not fitting into other kingdoms, including those that are plant-like and animal-like.
Fungi are distinct from plants due to cell wall composition (chitin vs. cellulose), lack of chloroplasts, and heterotrophic nature.

Evolutionary Relationships

Shared derived characters are traits that show evolutionary relationships and are crucial in cladistics, which classifies organisms based on these traits.
Homologous structures are similar in structure but different in function, indicating common ancestry, whereas analogous structures are similar in function but differing in structure.

Additional Taxonomic Details

The classification system includes various evolutionary trees and diagrams like cladograms and phylogenetic trees, illustrating relationships among organisms.
The concept of having a molecular clock allows scientists to estimate the time frame in which species have evolved separately by analyzing DNA similarities.
Derived characters, such as feathers in birds, evolve within specific groups and are key in determining relationships.
The final level of classification is the species, representing organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Importance of Scientific Naming

All scientific names are written in Latin, providing a universal language for classification.
The use of "catch-all" and "odds and ends" reflects the diversity and complexity of the Protista kingdom.

Other Notable Information

Vestigial structures are reduced remnants from ancestors, showcasing the evolutionary changes over time.
Charles Darwin is credited with developing the theory of natural selection, which influences our understanding of evolution and species adaptation.

Summary of Organism Classification Characteristics

Eubacteria: Prokaryotic, unicellular, both autotrophic and heterotrophic.
Archaebacteria: Prokaryotic, unicellular, thrive in extreme environments, lack peptidoglycans.
Protista: Eukaryotic, mostly unicellular, some colonial/multicellular, both autotrophic and heterotrophic.
Plantae: Eukaryotic, multicellular, autotrophic.
Fungi: Eukaryotic, mostly multicellular, heterotrophic.
Animalia: Eukaryotic, multicellular, heterotrophic.

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Description

Explore the fundamental principles of taxonomy and the classification of living organisms. This quiz covers key concepts such as phylogeny, Linnaeus's classification system, and the characteristics of living organisms. Test your understanding of the levels of classification and binomial nomenclature.