Classification of biodiversity

Question 1

What is the binomial system?

Answer 1

• Universal system for naming species and has been agreed and developed at a series of congresses, newly discovered species get name by binomial system
• Allows for the identification and comparisons of organisms
• Shows how closely related organisms are, predict evolutionary links

Question 2

What does genus and species mean?

Answer 2

• Genus: group of species that share characteristics, may not be able to interbreed
• Species: group of organisms in the same genus that are able to interbreed to produce fertile offspring (refer to a specific trait)
• There may be sub-species (third name), belong to same species but different sub-species

Question 3

How does the binomial system work?

Answer 3

• Genus, is the first name (upper case), species is the second name (lower case)
• Complete name of genus and species –> underlined

Question 4

What is taxonomy?

Answer 4

• The science involved with classifying groups or organisms on the bases of shared characteristics

Question 5

What is taxa and on what basis are organisms classified?

Answer 5

• Levels of groupings, as we go up each level, each higher level includes a larger group pf organisms
• Called hierarchy of taxa
• Organisms are classified according to a series of hierarchical taxa
• The more taxa are shared down to the species level, the similar they are (produce fertile offspring)

Question 6

What is the hierarchy of taxa?

Answer 6

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

Question 7

What are the domains and its members?

Answer 7

• Eukarya: eukaryotes
• Archaea: archaeans
• Eubacteria: bacetria

Question 8

What are the features of the domain eukaryote?

Answer 8

• No cell wall
• Chromosomes
• True nucleus
• Membrane-bound organelles

Question 9

What are the features of the domain eubacteria?

Answer 9

• Unicellular
• Have a cell wall (peptidoglycan)
• Lack a nucleus

Question 10

What are the features of the domain archaea?

Answer 10

• Contain RNA (genetic material)
• Do not have a peptidoglycan cell wall

Question 11

What are the four kingdoms of eukaryota?

Answer 11

• Protoctists, fungi, plantae, animalia

Question 12

What are the two main classification schemes? How do they differ?

Answer 12

• Artificial and natural classification
• Differ in the way characteristics and features are established

Question 13

What is artificial classification?

Answer 13

• Organisms are grouped by basic characteristics which do not show evolutionary relationships
• Unifying characteristics are arbitrarily selected first, according organisms are then grouped
• Groups of species may be separated into different genera if new evidence suggests they evolved from different ancestral species
• E.g. all organisms with wings are classified together

Question 14

What is natural classification?

Answer 14

• Grouping organisms based on similarities first and then identifying shared characteristics
• All members of a particular group share a common ancestor. Identifies traits based on groupings
• Show evolutionary relationships, predict characteristics shared by species in a group
• Tend to change as new information is discovered
• Each taxonomic level includes all species that would have evolved from a common ancestor (e.g. species in same genus have common genus ancestor)

Question 15

What is the third type of classification?

Answer 15

• Phylogenetic classification
• Differentiate organisms based on genetics
• Greater level of similar DNA or amino acid sequences are more closely related

Question 16

Classify an animal from domain to species level.

Answer 16

Blue whale: eukaryota, animalia, chordata, mammalia, cetacea, balaenopteridae, balaenoptera, musculus

Question 17

Classify a plant from domain to species level.

Answer 17

Garlic: eukaryota, plantae, magnoliophyta, liliopsida, asparagales, amaryllidaceae, allium, sativum

Question 18

What are the four features of the plant phylum?

Answer 18

• Bryophyta, filicinophyta, coniferophyta and angiospermophyta

Question 19

What are the features of bryophyta?

Answer 19

• Have NO vascular tissue, cannot transport water, absorb water from envrionment
• Reproduce by using spore capsules called sporangia
• Have rhizoids that hold them in the soil
• Have no ‘true’ leaves, roots or stems
• E.g. mosses

Question 20

What are the features of filicinophyta?

Answer 20

• Have vascular system (xylem and phloem)
• Have leaves, shallow roots and stems
• Reproduce by releasing spores from clusters called sori, on the underside of the leaves
• E.g. Ferns

Question 21

What are the features of coniferophytes?

Answer 21

• Has a vascular system
• Have leaves, roots and stems (waxy and needle-like)
• Reproduce by non-motile seeds which are found in cones, pollination
• E.g. pine trees

Question 22

What are the features of angiospermophytes?

Answer 22

• Have vascular system
• Have leaves, roots and stems
• Reproduce by seeds produced in ovules (fruits)
• E.g. flowering plants and grasses

Question 23

What are the seven features of the invertebrate animal phylum?

Answer 23

• Porifera, cnidaria, platyhelmintha, annelida, mollusca, arthropoda, chordata

Question 24

What are the features of porifera?

Answer 24

• No asymmetrical body
• No mouth or anus
• May have silica or calcium carbonate based spicules for structural support
• E.g. sea sponges

Question 25

What are the features of cnidaria?

Answer 25

- Radial symmetry body (symmetrical along multiple planes from centre of body) - Have a mouth but no anus - May have tentacles to capture prey - E.g. jellyfish

Question 26

What are the features of platyhelmintha?

Answer 26

- Have bilateral symmetry (both halves of body look the same) - Have a mouth but no anus - Have a flattened body to increase SA:Volume ratio - E.g. tapeworms

Question 27

What are the features of annelida?

Answer 27

- Have bilateral symmetry - Have a mouth and an anus - Body divided into ringed segments with some specialization of segments - E.g. earthworms

Question 28

What are the features of mollusca?

Answer 28

- Have bilateral symmetry - Have a separate mouth and anus - Contain a calcareous shell (CaCO3) for mantle - E.g. snail

Question 29

What are the features of arthropoda?

Answer 29

- Have bilateral symmetry - Have a mouth and an anus - Have jointed legs, but segmented bodies - E.g. insects

Question 30

What are the features of chordata?

Answer 30

- Have bilateral symmetry - Have a mouth and an anus - Have nervous systems - E.g. mammals, birds (all vertebrates)

Question 31

What are the 5 sub-phylums of the chordates (vertebrates)?

Answer 31

- Birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish

Question 32

Explain the features of fish.

Answer 32

- Covered in scales made of bony plates in skin - Reproduce by external fertilisation (egg) - Breath through gills - Does not maintain a constant internal body temp.

Question 33

Explain the features of amphibians.

Answer 33

- Moist skin, permeable to gases and water - Reproduce by external fertilisation - Can breath through skin, also have lungs - Does not maintain a constant internal body temp. - E.g. frogs

Question 34

Explain the features of reptiles.

Answer 34

- Covered in scales, reproduce by internal fertilisation and female lay eggs - Breath through lungs that have extensive folding (increases SA: Volume ration) - Do not maintain internal body temp. (ectothermic)

Question 35

Explain the features of birds.

Answer 35

- Covered in feathers - Reproduce by internal fertilisation - Breath through lungs with tubes - Maintain a constant internal body temp.

Question 36

Explain the features of mammals.

Answer 36

- Skin has follicles which produce hair made of keratin - Reproduce by internal fertilisation, young feed from mammary glands - Breath through lungs - Maintain constant internal body temp. (endothermic)