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Taxonomy

System of naming and classifying organisms based on shared characteristics and universal rules.

Binomial nomenclature

System where each species gets a two-part scientific name.

Genus

Group of closely related species and the first part of a scientific name.

Systematics

Study of the diversity of life and evolutionary relationships between organisms.

Taxa

Levels of organization used to classify organisms.

Species

A group of organisms that can mate and produce fertile offspring.

Family

A group of closely related genera.

Order

A group of closely related families.

Class

A group of closely related orders.

Phylum

A group of closely related classes.

Kingdom

The largest traditional taxonomic category.

Domain

A taxonomic category larger than a kingdom.

Phylogeny

The study of evolutionary relationships among organisms.

Clade

A group that includes one common ancestor and all of its descendants.

Cladogram

A diagram that shows patterns of shared characteristics among species.

Derived character

A trait that appeared in a recent common ancestor and was passed to descendants.

Bacteria

Domain of unicellular prokaryotes with cell walls containing peptidoglycan.

Archaea

Domain of unicellular prokaryotes that often live in extreme environments and lack peptidoglycan.

Eukarya

Domain of organisms that have cells with a nucleus.

Fungi

Heterotrophs with cell walls made of chitin.

Plantae

Autotrophs with cell walls made of cellulose that photosynthesize.

Animalia

Multicellular heterotrophs that lack cell walls.

Extinct

Condition of a species that has died out and has no living members.

Fossil

Preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms.

Relative dating

Finding a fossil’s age by comparing its position in rock layers.

Index fossil

Distinctive fossil used to compare the relative ages of rock layers.

Radiometric dating

Finding age by using radioactive isotopes that decay at a steady rate.

Half-life

Time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay.

Geologic time scale

Timeline used to represent Earth’s entire history.

Mass extinction

Event where many species become extinct in a relatively short time.

Gradualism

Evolution by small genetic changes over long periods of time.

Punctuated equilibrium

Long stable periods interrupted by short periods of faster change.

Adaptive radiation

Process where one species or a small group evolves into several different forms.

Convergent evolution

Process where unrelated organisms evolve similar traits in similar environments.

Coevolution

Process where two species evolve in response to each other over time.

Endosymbiotic theory

Theory that eukaryotic cells formed from a relationship among different prokaryotic cells.

RNA world hypothesis

Idea that RNA existed before DNA.

Protocells

Early membrane-like structures that may have surrounded RNA.

Miller-Urey experiment

Experiment suggesting organic compounds needed for life could form from simpler compounds on early Earth.

Early Earth atmosphere

Atmosphere with little or no oxygen

Earth’s age

Earth is about 4.54 billion years old.