The Diversity of Life Practice Flashcards

This flashcard set covers the diversity of life, including cosmic timelines, the three domains, classification systems, and specific kingdom characteristics as discussed in BIOL1310 Lecture 2.

Big Bang

A cosmogonical event that occurred approximately $13.7$ billion years ago, marking the beginning of the universe's accelerated expansion.

Pre-biotic earth

The state of the Earth between $4.4$ and $3.8$ billion years ago, prior to the emergence of life.

Domains of Life

The three primary groups of life on Earth based on molecular (DNA) evidence: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Prokaryotes

Single-celled organisms from the domains Bacteria and Archaea; named from Greek 'Pro' (before) and 'Karyote' (kernel or nucleus) because they lack a nucleus.

Eukaryotes

Organisms in the domain Eukarya characterized by having a cell nucleus; named from Greek 'Eu' (well) and 'Karyote' (kernel or nucleus).

Carl Linnaeus

An 18th-century scientist (1707-1788) known for developing the 'binomial' classification system for naming species.

Hierarchy of Classification

The Linnaean taxonomic levels: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Archaea

A domain of unicellular prokaryotes that lack a nucleus; many are known as extremophiles found in the human gut, geothermal vents, or hyper-saline environments.

Thermophiles

Extremophiles from the domain Archaea that are 'heat loving' (Greek) and can survive in temperatures up to $120\,^\circ\text{C}$.

Halophiles

Extremophiles from the domain Archaea that are 'salt loving' (Greek), found in hyper-saline environments like Lake Hillier or Lake Bumbunga.

Protists

Eukaryotes that are largely unicellular and do not belong to the animal, plant, or fungi kingdoms; includes plankton, slime molds, and protozoans.

Kingdom Fungi

A kingdom of heterotrophic organisms that includes mushrooms, bracket fungi, and true moulds such as Penicillium chrysogenum.

Kingdom Plantae

A kingdom comprising multicellular eukaryotes that includes Angiosperms (flowering plants), Gymnosperms, Ferns, Liverworts, and Clubmoss.

Carboniferous Period

A geological period spanning approximately $360$ to $300$ million years ago, known for early forests of seedless plants.

Lycophytes

A group of seedless plants, including club mosses, that were prominent in early forests during the Devonian and Carboniferous periods.

Metazoan

A term used to describe multicellular animals, encompassing groups such as Chordata, Arthropoda, and Mollusca.

Coleoptera

The order of insects comprising beetles, which has approximately $30,000$ named species in Australia.

Lepidoptera

The order of insects comprising butterflies and moths, with approximately $20,800$ named species in Australia.

Caleana major

Commonly known as the 'Flying duck orchid,' it is an example of orchid deception in ecological interactions.

4-party symbiosis

An ecological interaction involving four species: Eucalyptus leucoxylon, Amyema sp. (mistletoe), Ogyris genoveva (butterfly), and Camponotus sp. (ant).