Classification of Living Organisms

Question 1

What did scientists used to look at to classify organisms?

Answer 1

Their structre and characteristics

Question 2

Which Scientist developed the Linnaean System?

Answer 2

Carl Linnaeaus

Question 3

Linnaean system of classification

King Phillip came over for good soup

Answer 3

Kindom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus Species

Question 4

How to find the binomial name of a species

Answer 4

Genus and Species- families in the same genus are seen by scientists to be closely related because it gives information on the ancestry of a species.
e.g. Homo (Genus) Sapiens (Species)

Question 5

Why are the names of species in Latin?

Answer 5

Considered a universal scientific language, so it helps scientists all around the world to use the same name for each species.

Question 6

What is the rule for writing binomial names?

Answer 6

• When types, it needs to be in italics, when handwritten it needs to be underlines
• The first letter of the genus must be capital
• The first letter of species must be lowercase

Question 7

Why is classification useful for grouping organisms?

Answer 7

• Helps scientists to know which species are closely related
• Helps scientists identify different organisms as seperate species
• Helps scientists to monitor biodiversity.

Question 8

Who updated the Linnaean Classification System? Why?

Answer 8

• Carl Woese
• Modern techniques developed our understanding of organisms from biochemistry (of cell ribosomes and the way different cells reproduce) and microscopy (DNA evidence)

Question 9

Three-domain system

Answer 9

• Archaea(Domain): Archaebacteria (Kingdom)- Primitive forms of bacteria that existed in prehistoric times. They are often extremophiles. They are prokaryotes
• Bacteria (Domain): Eubacteria (Kingdom)- true bacteria and the cynobacteria (bacteria like organisms that can photosynthesis). They are prokaryotes.
• Eukaryota (Domain): These organisms all have cells that contain a nucleus enclosing genetic material. There are 4 kingdoms (The protista (protists), fungi, plants and animals.

Question 10

How many Kingdoms in the Three Domain System?

Answer 10

6

Question 11

Extremophiles Definition

Answer 11

Organisms that can live in extreme conditions

Question 12

How many kingdoms originally existed?

Answer 12

5- modern techniques like improvements of microscopes (which made it easier to see the interanl structure of organisms) revealed enough differences within the prokaryote kingdom that it was split into archaeubacteria and eubacteria.

Question 13

Advantages of the binomial naming system

Answer 13

• Same name to everyone
• Names are shorter than before
• Genus gives information on the ancestry.

Question 14

How do Evolutionary trees work?

Answer 14

• Shows evolutionary relationships between different groups of organisms
• The closer the organisms are on the tree, the more closely related they are.
• Organisms without many branches evolved early and are the most different.

Question 15

How has DNA improved evolutionary trees?

Answer 15

Darwin was limited because he didn’t know about genes. DNA evidence has improved evolutionary trees that were mostly based on physical characteristics and behaviour. It can be used to show how long ago different organisms had a similar ancestor, so how closely they are related.