Introduction to Taxonomy and Phylogenetic Trees

Taxonomy

Biology field classifying organisms by characteristics.

Domains

Three major categories of all life forms.

Eubacteria

True bacteria, including pathogens; prokaryotic.

Archaebacteria

Prokaryotes found in extreme environments.

Eukarya

Domain containing all eukaryotic organisms.

Phylogeny

Evolutionary history of a species.

Endosymbiosis

Prokaryote inside another, leading to eukaryotes.

Endosymbiotic Theory

Proposes coevolution led to eukaryotic speciation.

Common Ancestor

Shared ancestor from which species diverged.

Phylogenetic Tree

Diagram predicting evolutionary relationships among organisms.

Branch Points

Indicate new species diverging from ancestors.

Maximum Parsimony

Simplest explanation used for tree creation.

Homologous Features

Traits from divergent evolution used for classification.

Speciation

Branching of a family tree into new species.

Extinction

Loss of a branch in a phylogenetic tree.

Morphology

Study of form and structure of organisms.

Genus Species

Binomial nomenclature format for naming organisms.

Carolus Linnaeus

Known as the Father of Taxonomy.

Italics in Naming

Genus capitalized, species in lowercase.

Phylogenetic Relationships

Connections based on shared inherited characteristics.

Reading Phylogenetic Trees

Start from root, move forward in time.