Chapter 17 honors biology
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31 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Biodiversity | the variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety of communities in an ecosystem |
| Taxonomy | the science of describing, naming, and classifying organisms |
| Taxon | any particular group within a taxonomic system |
| Kingdom | the highest taxonomic category, which contains a group of similar phyla |
| Domain | in a taxonomic system based on rRNA analysis, one of the three broad groups that all living things fall into |
| Phylum | the taxonomic group below kingdom and above class |
| Division | in taxonomy, a grouping of similar classes of plants |
| Class | a taxonomic category containing orders with common characteristics |
| Order | the taxonomic category below the class and above the family |
| Family | the taxonomic category below the order and above the genus |
| Genus | the level of classification that comes after family and that contains similar species |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |
| Systematics | the classification of living organisms in terms of their natural relationships; it includes describing, naming, and classifying the organisms |
| Phylogenetics | the analysis of evolutionary, or ancestral, relationships between taxa |
| Phylogenetic Diagram | a branching diagram that models the relationships by ancestry between different species or other taxonomic groups |
| Cladistics | a phylogenetic classification system that uses shared derived characters and ancestry as the sole criterion for grouping taxa |
| Shared Character | a feature that is shared by all members of a particular group of organisms |
| Derived Character | a feature that evolved only within a particular taxonomic group |
| Clade | a taxonomic grouping that includes only a single ancestor and all of its descendants |
| Cladogram | a diagram that is based on patterns of shared, derived traits and that shows the evolutionary relationships between groups of organisms |
| Domain 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 Archaea | prokaryotes (most of which are known to live in extreme environments) that are distinguished from other prokaryotes by differences in their genetics and in the makeup of their cell wall; members of the domain Archaea (singular, archaeon) |
| Domain Eukarya | in a modern taxonomic system, a domain made up of all eukaryotes; this domain aligns with the traditional kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia |
| Kingdom Eubacteria | in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of all prokaryotes except members of the kingdom Archaebacteria; currently, biologists prefer to classify members of this kingdom into the domain Bacteria |
| Kingdom Archaebacteria | a kingdom made up of prokaryotes (most of which are known to live in extreme environments) that are distinguished from other prokaryotes by differences in their genetics and in the makeup of their cell wall; currently, biologists prefer to classify members of this kingdom into the domain Archaea |
| Kingdom Protista | a kingdom of mostly one-celled eukaryotic organisms that are different from plants, animals, and fungi |
| Kingdom Fungi | a classification kingdom made up of nongreen, eukaryotic organisms that get food by breaking down organic matter and absorbing the nutrients, reproduce by means of spores, and have no means of movement |
| Kingdom Plantae | a classification kingdom made up of eukaryotic, multicellular organisms that have cell walls made mostly of cellulose, that have pigments that absorb light, and that supply energy and oxygen to themselves and to other life-forms through photosynthesis |
| Kingdom Animalia | the classification kingdom containing 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 |
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