Classification Study Guide-Science

What is taxonomy and why is it useful?

The scientific study of how organisms are classified is called taxonomy. Taxonomy is useful because once an organism is classified, a scientist knows a lot of information about that organism. Taxonomy also involves naming organisms.

What is the second word in a scientific name and what is it?

The second word in a scientific name often describes a distinctive feature of an organism, such as where it lives or its appearance. The second word in a scientific name is the species. A species is a group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce.

What are the six kingdoms in the classification system?

The six kingdoms in the classification system are Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.

What are the six types of extremophiles?

The six types of extremophiles are Halophiles, Psychrophiles/Cryophiles, Barophiles, Alkaliphiles, Acidophiles, and Thermophiles.

What is the term for more than one genus?

The term for more than one genus is genera.

What are the three domains?

The three domains are Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

What are Thermophiles?

Thermophiles are organisms that can thrive at temperatures between 60-100 degrees Celsius. Thermophiles are found in hot pools associated with geothermal activity, deep ocean volcanic vents, and decompsoing plant matter. Thermophiles are heat lovers.

How is a complete scientific name written?

A complete scientific name is written in italics. Only the first letter of the first word in a scientific name is capitalized. Linnaeus used Latin words in his naming system because Latin was the language that scientists used during that time.

What is a dichotomous key?

A dichotomous key is a series of descriptions arranged in pairs that leads the user to the identification of an unknown organism.

What can a common name refer to?

A common name might refer to more than one type of organism.

What characteristics does an organism in the Kingdom Archaebacteria have?

Archaebacteria are simple, unicellular organisms. They often live in very extreme conditions. Archaebacteria are autotrophs.

What are Barophiles?

Barophiles love extreme pressure.

What does binomial nomenclature make it easy for?

Binomial nomenclature makes it easy for scientists to communicate about an organism because everyone uses the same scientific name for the same organism. Using different names or common names for the same organism can get very confusing.

What characteristics does an organism in the Kingdom Animalia have?

Animals are multicellular and take in their food. Animals are heterotrophs.

What are field guides?

Field guides are books with illustrations that highlight differences between similar-looking organisms.

What are the major levels of classification from broadest to most specific?

A domain is the broadest level of organization. Within a domain, there are kingdoms. Within kingdoms, there are phyla. Within phyla are classes. Within classes are orders. Within orders are families. Each family contains one or more genera. Finally, each genus contains one or more species. Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

What is a eukaryote?

A eukaryote is an organism in the Domain Eukarya and it has a nucleus.

What is a prokaryote?

A prokaryote is an organism in the Domain Bacteria or the Domain Archaea and has no nucleus.

What are Acidophiles?

Acidophiles are organisms with an optimal growth at pH levels of 3 or below. Acidophiles are acid lovers. They get their energy by using carbon dioxide to oxidize hydrogen gas, making methane gas and they cannot live in oxygen. They are great decomposers, where other living things have used up all the oxygen (like swamps and marshes). They also live in cow, human, and termite intestines.

What are Alkaliphiles?

Alkaliphiles are organisms with optimal growth at pH levels of 9 or above. Alkaliphiles are base lovers. They get their energy by using carbon dioxide to oxidize hydrogen gas, making methane gas and they cannot live in oxygen. They are great decomposers, where other living things have used up all the oxygen (like swamps and marshes). They also live in cow, human, and termite intestines.

What characteristics do all organisms in Domain Archaea have?

All organisms in Domain Archaea are single-celled (unicellular), prokaryotic (does not have a nucleus), and they are extremophiles (organisms that thrive in extreme conditions).

What characteristics do all organisms in Domain Bacteria and Domain Archaea have?

All organisms in Domain Bacteria and Domain Archaea have no nucleus (prokaryotic).

What characteristics do all organisms in Domain Eukarya have?

All organisms in Domain Eukarya have a nucleus (eukaryotic).

What makes up an organism's scientific name?

An organism's genus and then its species makes up its scientific name.

Why do biologists use classification?

Biologists use classification to organize living things into groups so that the organisms are easier to study.

Which scientist organized animals into groups according to observable features?

Carolus Linnaeus organized animals into groups according to observable features.

Who was Charles Darwin?

Charles Darwin was the man who presented the theory of evolution in his book, "On the Origin of Species." A species can change over time is evolution.

What is classification?

Classification is the process of grouping things based on their similarities.

What type of name was each organism given and what was that system called?

Each organism was given a unique, two-part scientific name. This system is called binomial nomenclature. Binomial means "two names."

What characteristics does an organism have in the Kingdom Eubacteria?

Eubacteria are complex, unicellular organisms. Most bacteria are in the Kingdom Eubacteria. Eubacteria are both autotrophs and heterotrophs.

In which domain do extremophiles belong to?

Extremophiles belong to the Domain Archaea.

What characteristics does an organism in the Kingdom Fungi have?

Fungi are unicellular or multicellular and absorb food. They are heterotrophic.

What are Halophiles?

Halophiles are organisms requiring at least five times ocean's salt concentration for growth. Halophiles pump out salt vigorously. Halophiles are salt lovers.

Who was Carolus Linnaeus?

In the 1730s, the Swedish botanist, Carolus Linnaeus devised a system of naming organisms that is still used today.

What kingdom is in the Domain Archaea?

Kingdom Archaebacteria is in the Domain Archaea.

What kingdom is in the Domain Bacteria?

Kingdom Eubacteria is in the Domain Bacteria.

Which of the following birds are more closely related: Parus bicolor, Tachycineta bicolor, or Parus atricapillus? Explain why.

Parus bicolor and Parus atricapillus are more closely related because they are in the same genus, and if two organisms are in the same genus, they are more similar and closely related than if they were in the same species, and they share all the same levels above the genus. If they were in the same species, they would share a similar habitat or appearance.

What characteristics does an organism in the Kingdom Plantae have?

Plants are multicellular and make their own food. Plants are autotrophs.

What characteristics does an organism in the Kingdom Protista have?

Protists are unicellular and more complex than Eubacteria or Archaebacteria. Some Protists are autotrophs or heterotrophs.

What are Psychrophiles/Cryophiles?

Psychropiles/Cryophiles are organisms that grow better at temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius or lower. Common in cold soils, permafrost, polar ice, cold ocean water, and in/under alpine snowpack. Psychrophiles/Cryophiles are cold lovers.

What are taxonomic keys?

Taxonomic keys are helpful tools that help determine the identity of organisms. A taxonomic key consists of a series of paired statements that describe the various physical characteristics of different organisms.

What is the classification method used today called?

The classification method used today is called systematics. It uses everything that is known about organisms to classify them. It looks at an organism's cell type, its habitat, the way it gets food and energy, the structure and functions of its features, the common ancestry of organisms, and molecular analysis-the study of molecules, such as DNA, within organisms.

What type of classification system do scientists use today?

The classification system that scientists use today is based on the contributions of Linnaeus. But today's classification system uses a series of many levels to classify organisms.

What is the first word in an organism's scientific name and what is it? Organisms that are classified into the same genus share...?

The first word in an organism's scientific name is its genus. A genus is a classification grouping that contains similar, closely-related organisms. Organisms that are classified into the same genus share similar characteristics.

What are the four kingdoms of eukaryotes?

The four kingdoms of eukaryotes are Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.

The more classification levels two organisms share...?

The more classification levels two organisms share, the more characteristics they have in common and the more closely related they are.

What is the nucleus?

The nucleus contains the genetic material in eukaryotic organisms. The nucleus is the dense portion of some cells that contains nucleic acids.

What characteristics do the domains have?

The organisms are either prokaryotic or eukaryotic.

What characteristics do the kingdoms have?

The organisms are either unicellular or multicellular, they are autotrophic or heterotrophic, and they are prokaryotic or eukaryotic.

You have discovered an organism that is multicellular and autotrophic. Its cells each have a nucleus. To which kingdom does this organism belong? Explain how you know.

This organism belongs to Kingdom Plantae because organisms in Kingdom Plantae are multicellular, Kingdom Plantae belongs to Domain Eukarya, which means the organism has a nucleus, and all organisms in Kingdom Plantae are autotrophic.

What do the two words form?

Together, the two words form the scientific name of a unique kind of organism.