intro and definitions Flashcards
(16 cards)
what is biodiversity
variety of all living things and their interactions
why is it hard to define what a species is?
hybrids, wide range of phenotypes like in dogs or similarities in birds
What is taxonomy
classification of all living things by organizing it into a hierarchical system
Who is the father of Taxonomy
Carolus Linnaeus
Explain the entire class system
Each organism has a binomial nomenclature (genus and species) which is specific compared to kingdom. This is based on shared characteristics. Genus is capitalized while species is lowercase and everything is italics.
What is a dichotomous key
Scientific tool to identify different organisms.
What is a cladogram and who created it
shows the relationship of the closely related organisms, but less specific than a phylogenic tree. Created by Willi Hennig.
Porifera (phylum)
Simplest animals with no true tissues or organs. Filter feeders. Ex is barrel sponge, tube sponge
Cnidaria
One body opening, jelly fish and corals
Platyhelminthes
Flatworms - flat unsegmented bodies free living and parasitic. Absorbing food through skin.
Nematoda
Roundworms - round with complete digestive system and extremely abundant like pinworms and heart worms.
Annelida
Segmented worms important for soil health like earthworms and leeches
Mollusca
soft bodies with hard shells like snails and clams and mussels
Echinodermata
Marine only like starfish sea urchins
Arthropoda
Largest animal phylum; spiders insects crabs lobsters
Chordata
Vertebrae snakes humans frogs birds
