Ch. 19 Classification/Taxonomy

ancestral character

A feature that all members in a group have in common.

animalia

Found in the domain Eukarya, these are coomplex eukaryotic organisms with no cell walls and membranes, multicellular, develope from embroys, and heterotrophic by phagocytosis.

archaea

Domain consists of prokaryotes with distinctive cell membranes and other unique biochemical and genetic properties found in extreme environements.

archaebacteria

Means "ancient bacteria" and a kingdom found under the domain archaea.

bacteria

Domain made up of small, single-celled prokaryotic organisms that usually have cell walls and reproduce by cellular fission (binary fission).

binomial nomenclature

A system for giving each organism a two-word scientific name that consists of the genus name followed by the species name

clade

A group of organisms that include an ancestor plus all of its descendents

cladistics

A system of phylogenetic analysis that uses shared and derived characteristics as the only critera for grouping.

cladogram

A diagram that is based on patterns of shared, derived traits and that shows the evolutionary relationships between groups of organisms

class

Category contained in a phylum

Classification

The process of grouping things based on their similarities

derived character

A feature that evolved only within a group under consideration.

dichotomy

Two opposite parts of one whole

domain

First category in Linnaeus' taxonomy model.

eubacteria

Means "true bacteria" and a kingdom found under the domain bacteria.

eukarya

Domain that contains eukaryotic organisms which are large and have a true nucleus and complex organelles.

family

Contained within a order and contains a genus

fungi

Found in the domain Eukarya, these have cell walls, made of chitin, can usually be multicellular or unicellular, and are heterotrophic by secreting digestive enzymes.

genus

Contained in a family and contains a species

kingdom

Second category in the Linnaeus' hierarchical model (under domain)

molecular clock

a technique that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when two or more life forms diverged

order

Contained within a class and contains families.

phylogenetic diagram

resembles a family tree showing evolutionary relationships

phylogeny

evolutionary history

phylum

Group of closely related classes

plantae

Found in the domain Eukarya, these have cell walls made of cellulose and usually are multicellular (develope from embryos); autotrophic by photosynthesis

protista

Found in the domain Eukarya, these have cell walls, made of cellulose, and mostly unicellular, autotrophic by photosynthesis.

Species

Found in the genus grouping and contains only one organism type.

subspecies

Variation of a specie that live in different geographical areas

taxon

Any particular group in a taxonomy

taxonomy

The science of describing, naming, and classifying organisms.