Taxonomy Flashcards

Study Notes

Methods of Classification

Classification includes 10 to 30 million living eukaryotic species.
Taxonomy is the science of naming and classifying organisms based on structural and genetic comparisons.
Categories include Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
Common names can lead to inaccuracies and may vary by location.
Aristotle initiated a classification system focused on characteristics, later refined by Linnaeus with binomial nomenclature.
Binomial nomenclature uses the genus name followed by the species name, providing a standardized naming system with Latin.
Organisms exhibit physical classification traits, demonstrated by the Platypus, which shares features with both birds and mammals.
Modern taxonomy incorporates phylogenetic trees to illustrate evolutionary relationships.
Evolutionary relationships show that the Platypus is more closely related to Opossum than Duck.
Xenotransplantation involves organ, tissue, or cell transplantation between different species.

The Kingdoms

Organisms are categorized into three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
The six kingdoms are Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
Eubacteria and Archaebacteria are unicellular and prokaryotic, but Archaebacteria often thrive in extreme conditions.
Characteristics of kingdoms are based on body type (unicellular or multicellular), cell type (prokaryotic or eukaryotic), cell structure, and nutritional methods (autotrophic or heterotrophic).
Kingdom Eubacteria: Unicellular, prokaryotic, cell wall with peptidoglycan, can be photosynthetic or disease-causing.
Kingdom Archaebacteria: Unicellular, prokaryotic, cell wall, found in extreme environments, both autotrophic and heterotrophic.
Kingdom Protista: Mostly unicellular, eukaryotic, varies in cell wall presence, includes organisms that don’t fit into other eukaryotic kingdoms.
Kingdom Fungi: Unicellular or multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic, cell wall made of chitin, important decomposers.
Kingdom Plantae: Multicellular, eukaryotic, autotrophic, cell wall made of cellulose, species size ranges from 1 mm to 115 m.
Kingdom Animalia: Multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic, lacks a cell wall, includes invertebrates and vertebrates.

Types of Plants

Reasons to group plants include distinguishing types, characterizing features, understanding their roles in the ecosystem, and tracing evolutionary history.

Description

Explore the essential methods of classification in biology with these flashcards focused on taxonomy. Learn about the categories used to classify living organisms, from domain to species, and the significance of genetic evidence in classification. Dive into the fascinating world of eukaryotic species and their structural comparisons.