Classification Flashcards
(13 cards)
What is classification?
The organisation of living things into groups according to their similarities
What is taxonomy?
The science of classification
It involves naming organisms and putting them into groups so it’s easier to identify and study them
What is a taxon (plural taxa)
One of the levels of groups used to classify organisms
What are the three largest taxa called?
Known as domains
Eukarya, bacteria and Archaea
What is under the phylogenetic classification system?
- there is a hierarchy of groups, in which smaller groups are placed within larger groups
- there is no overlap between groups
- each group called a taxon (plural taxa)
What is phylogenetic classification?
The phylogenetic system of taxonomy arranges organisms into groups based on their evolutionary origins and relationships
What is a hierarchy?
a hierarchy shows smaller groups within larger groups
And there is no overlap between them
How does grouping organisms in a hierarchy be helpful for scientists?
- scientists can communicate clearly
- knowledge that relates to one species can often be partially applied to other, closely related species
- it allows scientists to gain an accurate count of the number of species, which is useful for conservation progress
What is the order of taxonomic groups in descending order?
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Describe binomial naming
Animals are referred to by their genus and species
What are the rules of binomial naming?
- names written in italics or underlined if handwritten
- first letter of generic name is upper case, specific name is lower case
- if specific name is not known it can be written as sp. e.g. Felix sp.
e.g. Panthera leo
Describe phylogeny
Study of the evolutionary history between organisms
Phylogenic relationships can be shown as trees
The older species are at the bottom, and the newest ones at ends of branches
What is a monophyletic group?
A group of organisms that has a shared most recent common ancestor
