Classification Flashcards
(15 cards)
Explain why classification is important.
It helps us organize and make sense of the world around us. We sort things so that it is easier to find them again.
Categorise living things into Kingdoms based on distinguishing features.
Fungi:
What are the six kingdoms
Fungi
Animals
Plants
Archaebacteria
Eubacteria
Protista.
List the distinguishing features of the Animal, Plant and Fungi kingdoms.
Define the term species
Species is defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and creating fertile offspring. This means two organisms are the same species if they can have offspring and those offspring can also breed and produce offspring.
Define hybrids
Sometimes, when organisms are in the same genus but a different species, they may be
able to interbreed. The offspring that they produce are called hybrids. These offspring are
usually sterile, which means that they are not able to reproduce themselves.
Define binomial nomenclature
Organisms are classified according to the features that they have and are named by their
last two group names: their genus and species. This is called binomial nomenclature –
binomial meaning two, nomenclature meaning naming. Having one system of naming allows
everyone in the world to communicate about the same organism without any confusion.
A species contains only one type of organism that shares many features with the other
organisms in this group. Individuals who are the same species are able to reproduce with
each other and have fertile offspring.
Describe a dichotomous flowchart
more
Dichotomous Key Demystified: Types, Examples & Uses
A dichotomous flowchart, or dichotomous key, is a tool used to identify different organisms or objects by systematically answering questions with two contrasting choices. Each question leads to a new pair of options, guiding the user to the correct identification through a process of elimination
Classify animals as either vertebrates or invertebrates
The key difference between vertebrates and invertebrates lies in the presence or absence of a backbone. Vertebrates have a backbone, while invertebrates do not
Define the term species
A species is a group of organisms that can successfully breed to produce fertile offspring.
Define and give examples of competition and predation.
In competition, individuals seek to obtain the same environmental resource. In predation, one population is the resource of the other. Competition examples would be cows and goats and sheep and deer. Predation would be like a lion eats a zebra and a spider eats a fly or a shark eats a human.
Identify the role that decomposers play in a food web and the overall ecosystem.
Decomposers play a vital role in both food webs and ecosystems by breaking down dead organisms and waste, recycling nutrients, and maintaining overall health. They complete the cycle of life, ensuring that essential molecules are returned to the soil or water for use by producers, thus starting new food chains
Define the following terms: producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore,
decomposer, autotroph, heterotroph, 1st order consumer and 2nd order consumer.
Producer: An organism that can produce its own food from inorganic substances, typically through photosynthesis.
Consumer: An organism that obtains food by feeding on other organisms.
Herbivore: A consumer that primarily eats plants.
Carnivore: A consumer that primarily eats meat (other animals).
Omnivore: A consumer that eats both plants and animals.
Decomposer: An organism that breaks down dead or decaying organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
Autotroph: An organism that can produce its own food from inorganic substances (like producers).
Heterotroph: An organism that obtains food by consuming other organisms (like consumers).
1st order consumer: A consumer that eats producers (herbivores).
2nd order consumer: A consumer that eats 1st order consumers (carnivores and omnivores).
Explain why the sun is the ultimate source of energy in an ecosystem.
The sun is the ultimate source of energy in an ecosystem because it powers photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into chemical energy in the form of sugars. This chemical energy fuels the entire food web, as plants are eaten by primary consumers (herbivores), which are then eaten by secondary and tertiary consumers (carnivores), and so on. Essentially, all life on Earth, including humans, directly or indirectly relies on the sun’s energy for survival
List the distinguishing features of the Animal, Plant and Fungi kingdoms.
The three main kingdoms of life – Animal, Plant, and Fungi – are distinguished by their methods of nutrition, movement, and cellular structure. Animals are multicellular, heterotrophic (eating other living organisms or dead organic material), and mobile, meaning they eat other living things and can move around. Plants are multicellular, autotrophic (can produce their own food), and mostly immobile, making their own food through photosynthesis. Fungi are also multicellular or unicellular, heterotrophic (eating other living organisms or dead organic material), and mostly immobile, absorbing nutrients from other living or dead organisms
