chapter 17: classification of organism

Eukarya

in a modern taxonomic system, a domain made up of all eukaryotes; aligns with the traditional kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia

Archaea

in a modern taxonomic system, a domain made up of prokaryotes that can live in extreme environments; differentiated from other prokaryotypes by various important chemical differences; this domain aligns with the traditional kingdom Archaebacteria

Bacteria

in a modern taxonomic system, a domain made up of prokaryotes that usually have a cell wall and that usually reproduce by cell division; this domain aligns with the traditional kingdom Eubacteria

domain

in a modern taxonomic system, the broadest category; the category that contains kingdoms

phylum

in a traditional taxonomic for organisms other than plants, the category contained within a kingdom and containing classes

division

in a traditional taxonomic system for plants, the category contained within a kingdom and containing classes

Animalia

in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of complex, multicellular organisms that lack cell walls, are usually able to move around, and possess specialized sense organs that help them quickly respond to their environment

taxonomy

the science of describing, naming, and classifying organisms

biodiversity

the variety of organisms considered at all levels, from populations to ecosystems

phylogenetic diagram

a branching diagram that models the relationships by ancestry between different species or other taxonomic groups

cladogram

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

derived character

a feature that evolved only within a particular taxonomic group

shared character

a feature that is shared by all members of a particular group of organisms

species

a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring; also the level of classification below genus and above subspecies

cladistics

a phylogenetic classification system that uses shared derived characters and ancestry as the sole criterion for group ing taxa

binomial nomenclature

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

subspecies

a taxonomic classification below the species that groups organisms that live in different geographical areas, differ morphologically from other populations of the species, but can interbreed with other populations of the species

clade

a taxonomic grouping that includes only a single ancestor and all of its descendants

taxon

any particular group within a taxonomic system

Plantae

in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of eukaryotic, multi-cellular organisms that have cell walls made mostly of cellulose, that have pigments that absorb light, and that supply energy and ocygen to themselves and to other life-forms through photosynthesis

Protista

in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of mostly one-celled eukaryotic organisms that are not readily classified as either plants, animals, or fungi

Fungi

in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of nongreen, eukaryotic oganisms that get food by breaking down organic matter and absorbing the nutrients, reproduce by means of spores, and have no means of movement

Archaebacteria

in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of prokayotes that can live in extreme environments; differentiated from other prokaryotypes by various important chemical differences; biologists more recently prefer to classift these organisms as Domain Archaea

Eubacteria

in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom that contains all prokaryotes except Kingdom Archaebacteria (Domain Archaea); biologists more recently like to classify these organisms as Domain Bacteria

order

in a traditional taxonomic system, the category contained within a class and containing families

genus

in a traditional taxonomic system, the category contained within a family and containing species (plural, genera)

class

in a traditional taxonomic system, the category contained within a phylum or division and containing orders

family

in a traditional taxonomic system, the category contained within an order and containing genera

kingdom

in a traditional taxonomic system, the highest taxonimic category, which contains a group of similar phyla

phylogenetics

the analysis of evolutionary, or ancestral, relationships between taxa

systematics

the classification of living organisms in terms of their natural relationships; it includes describing, naming, and classifying the organisms