Cladistics and Systems of Classification

Vocabulary flashcards covering the history of classification, Linnaean taxonomy, the five kingdoms, the three domains, and the principles of cladistics based on the lecture notes.

Classification

The process of grouping living organisms based on their similarities and differences.

Aristotle’s System

An early classification system that grouped organisms by habitat (land, water, air) and physical characteristics.

Carolus Linnaeus

Known as the Father of Modern Classification, he introduced a standardized classification system and binomial nomenclature.

Binomial Nomenclature

A two-part scientific naming system for every organism consisting of a Genus name (capitalized) and a Species name (lowercase).

Taxonomic Hierarchy

The levels of classification from largest group to smallest: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup

A memory trick used to remember the taxonomic hierarchy from Domain to Species.

Monera

The kingdom consisting of single-celled bacteria.

Protista/protoctista

The kingdom consisting of mostly single-celled organisms, such as Amoeba.

Fungi

The kingdom consisting of organisms that absorb nutrients, such as Mushrooms.

Plantae

The kingdom consisting of organisms that make food by photosynthesis.

Animalia

The kingdom consisting of organisms that consume other organisms for food.

Archaea

A domain of ancient microorganisms that live in extreme environments.

Bacteria

A domain consisting of common bacteria found everywhere.

Eukarya

A domain consisting of organisms with complex cells, including plants, animals, fungi, and protists.

Cladistics

A method of classification based on evolutionary relationships, studying shared characteristics, DNA similarities, and common ancestors.

Earth's Formation

The event that occurred $4,600$ million years ago by accretion.

Oldest known rocks

Geological evidence dating back to $4,000$ million years ago.

Undisputed evidence for life

Biological evidence dating back to $3,500$ million years ago.

Oxygen production by photosynthesis

A biological milestone that began approximately $2,500$ million years ago.

Eukaryotes

Organisms with complex cells that appeared approximately $2,000$ million years ago.

Cladogram

A branching diagram that shows evolutionary relationships between different organisms.

Ancestor

The organism from which subsequent organisms evolved.

Derived Characteristic

A new trait that appears in a group of organisms on a cladogram, such as feathers or fur.

Branch Point

The location on a cladogram where evolutionary lines split.