The Living World and Taxonomy Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the fundamentals of biology, characteristics of living things, taxonomy, classification systems, and taxonomic aids based on the lecture notes.

Define the term biology and mention who introduced the term

The branch of science that deals with varied life forms, such as microorganisms as well as macroorganisms; term introduced by G.R.Treviranus and Lamarck in 1802.

Aristotle

The historical figure (384–322 BC) considered the Father of Biology and the Father of Zoology.

Theophrastus

The historical figure considered the Father of Botany.

Charles Darwin

The historical figure considered the Father of Modern Biology.

Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose

The historical figure considered the Father of Biology in India.

Biosphere

The system constituted by living organisms interacting with one another and their physical and chemical environment.

Growth

A characteristic of living things defined by an increase in mass and increase in number of individuals or cells.

Degrowth (Negative growth)

A condition that happens when catabolism exceeds anabolism, resulting in a decrease in body mass.

Reproduction

The process of producing offspring possessing features similar to those of parents; can be sexual or asexual.

Metabolism

The sum total of all anabolic (constructive) and catabolic (destructive) reactions occurring inside the body.

Anabolism

The metabolic stage of building up or synthesis of complex substances from simpler ones, such as photosynthesis.

Catabolism

The metabolic stage of breaking down complex substances into simpler substances, such as respiration.

Cellular Organisation

The fundamental characteristic where cells containing protoplasm and organelles serve as the building blocks of all living things.

Consciousness

The ability of living organisms to sense their environment and respond to physical, chemical, or biological stimuli.

The range of biodiversity

The number and types of organisms present on Earth, estimated to be between 1.7-1.8 million known species.

Taxonomy

The systematic process of identifying, describing, classifying, and naming organisms; Carolus Linnaeus is the father of this science.

Systematics

The branch of biology studying the diversity of organisms and their comparative and evolutionary relationships; defined as Taxonomy + Phylogeny.

Identification

The taxonomic process of determining the exact identity of an unknown organism by comparing it to known ones.

Nomenclature

The standardized process of assigning a scientific name to an organism so it is recognized uniformly worldwide.

Phylogeny

The study of tracing the evolutionary history and ancestral lines of species.

Binomial Nomenclature

A naming system developed by Carolus Linnaeus in 1751 where each name consists of a generic name (genus) and a specific epithet (species).

Tautonym

A scientific name where the genus and species names are the same, such as $Gorilla\,gorilla$; common in zoology but prohibited in botany.

Cytotaxonomy

A type of modern taxonomy based on cytological characters like chromosome number, morphology, and behavior at meiosis.

Chemotaxonomy

A type of modern taxonomy based on the chemical constituents of plants, such as alkaloids, carotenoids, and nucleic acids.

Artificial System of Classification

An early taxonomic method grouping organisms based on superficial traits like habitat or growth habit, such as Aristotle's or Linnaeus's sexual system.

Natural System of Classification

The organization of organisms based on natural affinities, morphological, anatomical, and cytological traits; proposed by Bentham and Hooker.

Phylogenetic Classification

Classification based on evolutionary relationships and common ancestry, often represented by cladograms.

Taxon

A unit of classification representing a rank; a group of any rank sufficiently distinct to be assigned a definite category.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

The system of seven obligate categories arranged in descending order: Kingdom, Phylum/Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Species

The lowest or basic taxonomic category consisting of populations that can interbreed freely; term introduced by John Ray.

Herbarium

A storehouse of collected plant specimens that are dried, pressed, and preserved on sheets according to a classification system.

Botanical Gardens

Specialized institutions like the Pisa Botanical Garden where living plant specimens are grown for research, identification, and conservation.

Taxidermy

The method used in museums to stuff and preserve larger animals like birds or mammals for study.

Taxonomic Keys

Tools used for identification based on pairs of contrasting statements (couplets), each statement of which is called a lead.

Flora

Books containing the actual account of the habitat and distribution of plants found in a specific, localized area.

Monographs

Comprehensive written documents containing detailed research on a single taxonomic family or genus.