3.1 - classification Flashcards
(80 cards)
why do we need an international classification system
-so that when scientists around the world are discussing a particular organism they have a way of making sure they are referring to the right organism
-by identifying the number of different organisms in a habitat scientist have a way of quantifying the biodiversity in that area
-it allows scientists to understand how different organisms are related to each other
before Linnaeus’ classification system was created, how were organisms classified into groups
-based on morphology
-organisms were classified into groups based on analogous (physically similar) features that didn’t always have the same-similar genetic origin
what is the order of taxonomic groupings
domain
kingdom
phylum (called division for plants)
class
order
family
genus
species
what are the 3 domains
archaea
bacteria
eukaryota
what kingdom comes after bacteria
eubacteria
what kingdom comes after archaea
archaebacteria
what are archaebacteria
-ancient bacteria thought to be the oldest form of living organism
-live in extreme conditions
what are eubacteria
-true bacteria
-include the bacteria that cause disease
-and useful in the digestive system
describe the kingdom protoctista
uni or multicellular
cellular structure
movement
nutrients acquired
unicellular
cellular structure: nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
movement: some can’t move, some have flagella and cilia
nutrients acquired: some are autotrophs they make their own food by photosynthesis, some are heterotrophs they eat other organisms
describe the kingdom plantae
uni or multicellular
cellular structure
movement
nutrients aquired
multicellular
cellular structure: nucleus, membrane-bound organelles, cell wall made of cellulose
movement: most don’t move, some gametes move by cilia or flagella
nutrients acquired: autotrophic, obtain nutrients through photosynthesis, store energy as starch
describe the kingdom fungi
uni or multicellular
cellular structure
movement
nutrients acquired
uni or multicellular
cellular structure: nucleus, membrane-bound organelles, cell wall made of chitin
movement: no mechanism for locomotion so reproduce through spores
nutrients acquired: heterotrophs, some are saprophytic meaning they feed on decaying materials, and some are parasitic meaning they obtain nutrients by feeding on a living host and harming it in the process
describe the kingdom animalia
uni or multicellular
cellular structure
movement
nutrients acquired
multicellular
cellular structure: nucleus, membrane-bound organelles
movement: cilia, flagella, contractile proteins
nutrients acquired: hetereotrophic, store energy as glycogen
what are the rules for using the binomial system
-the genus goes first and then the species
-the genus must have a capital first letter and the species must be lower-case
-must be written in italics
-after the binomial name is first used, it is abbreviated to the first letter of the genus and then the species name e.g. H. sapiens
what is the morphological species model
what are the limitations
-a model to define a species based only on the physical appearance of the organisms
-the appearance of a species can be effected by many environmental factors
-organisms which show sexual dimorphism have very different physical appearances and wouldn’t be though of as the same species
what is the widely used definition of a species
a group of organisms with similar characteristics that interbreed to produce fertile offspring
what is an advantage of using the reproductive/biological species concept
-organisms of different species may look similar if adapted to survive in the same environment
-it overcomes the issue of sexual dimorphism
what are the limitations of the reproductive/biological species concept
-new species are found that haven’t been observed matting, breeding programmes are expensive and time-consuming
-plants of different but closely related species frequently interbreed to produce fertile hybrid offspring
E.g. lions and tigers can breed, most of the offspring are fertile
-some organisms don’t reproduce sexually
-it is hard to classify fossil organisms because they cannot reproduce
-not all the organisms within a species interbreed, this may be because they are in different geographical places
what is DNA sequencing
a process where the base sequences of all or part of the genome of an organism are worked out
DNA sequencing leads to DNA profiling
what is DNA profiling
a process where the non-coding areas of DNA are analysed to identify patterns
these patterns are unique to individuals but the similarity between patterns can be used to create links between organisms
what is bioinformatics
the development of computer tools and software which organise and analyse raw biological data from DNA profiling and DNA sequencing
it looks for patterns between the data of different organisms, to identify if they are from the same species and determine evolutionary relationships
because it would be impossible for 1 scientist to process all this data
what are DNA barcodes
-it involves looking at short genetic sequence common to all the organisms within the species
-DNA barcodes are unique to each species
-DNA barcodes can be used to identify which species an organism belongs to
how does DNA profiling give information about evolutionary links
-the more mutations there are in the DNA between different organisms, the longer the time since they shared a common ancestor -an average mutation rate is used to estimate how long ago that common ancestor lived
-however there are limitations
-the rate at which DNA mutates can vary
-DNA fragment start to degrade immediately after death, so have to be kept in specific conditions to be preserved
how can fossils be used to determine evolutionary relationships within human evolution
-scientists can extract DNA from suitable fossils
-and analyse them with DNA sequencing and DNA profiling
explain how scientists validate new evidence
-when a piece of research produces useful results and conclusions it is submitted to a scientific journal
-this article will then go through a process of peer review where it is read by several scientists to see if the evidence is reliable
-the article should contain enough information for other scientists to carry out similar investigations to determine if the conclusions can be validated
-scientific conferences may be held where scientists working in the same field get together to talk about new evidence
-providing the opportunity to challenge the validity of results being presented and for the development of new techniques in research