Evolution 5.3 - Classification of Biodiversity

Biodiversity

Total number of different species living in a defined area or ecosystem

Taxonomy

The identification, classification and naming of species

Genus

A group of species that share common characteristics but may not be able to interbreed.

Species

A group of organisms in the same genus that are able to interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

Characteristics of binomial nomenclature

* Genus name starts with a capital (upper case) letter.
* Species name starts with a lowercase letter.
* Genus name is always written before the species name.
* The complete name, i.e. genus and species, should be word processed in *italics* , or __underlined__  when handwritten.
* Often genus and species names are written using Latin or classical Greek because they are unchanging languages, however there are many other sources of binomial names.

Kingdoms in the animal kingdom

Prokaryotae, Protocista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

Extremophiles

Archaea; Bacteria found in hostile environments; they are prokaryotic, but larger RNA molecules present in ribosomes are different from other strains of bacteria, leading to the classification of domains.

Archaea

* Circular genome
* Present histones
* Present cell wall (not made of peptidoglycan)
* Lipids of cell membrane differ from other domains.

Eubacteria

* Circular genome
* No histones
* Cell wall made of peptidoglycan

Eukaryota

* Chromosomes
* Present histones
* Cell wall sometimes present, but never made of peptidoglycan

Indicated relatedness

Nucleic acids comparison is the best indicator for relatedness. Better than proteins because some mutations in the DNA level do not change the protein structure.

Dichotomous keys

Series of paired opposing statements which guide the user to the identity (or allows the classification) of an item or organism.

Taxonomy of eukaryotes

kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species

Common oak Phylum

Angiospermophyta

Common oak Class

Dicotyledonae

Common oak Order

Fagales

Common oak Family

Fagaceae

Common oak Genus

Quercus

Common oak species

Robur

Human Phylum

Chordata

Human Class

Mammalia

Human Order

Primates

Human Family

Hominidae

Human Genus

Homo

Human Species

Sapien

Vascular tissue

Transports water and sugars throughout the plant.

Rhizoids

Small root-like structures that help bryophytes to attach to the soil

Xylem

Type of vascular tissue composed of non-living cells that transport water.

Pholem

Vascular tissue that transports sugars throughout the plant.

Bryophyta

* Plant phylum
* No roots, leaves or stems
* Reproduce via sports
* No vascularisation
* Rhizoids as anchors

Examples: Moss

Filincophyta

* Plant phylum
* Roots, leaves and stems
* Via spores
* Have vascularisation
* Pinnate leaves

Examples: Fern

Coniferophyta

* Plant phylum
* Roots, leaves and stems
* Seeds in cones
* Have vasicularisation
* Have woody stem

Examples: Conifer

Angiospermophyta

* Plant phylum
* Roots, leaves and stems
* Seeds from fruits
* Have vascularisation
* Produces flowers and fruits

Examples: Flowering plants

Porifera

* Animal phylum
* No symmetry
* No gut openings
* No segmentation
* Use spicules for support

Examples: Sea sponges

Cnidaria

* Animal phylum
* Radial symmetry
* 1 gut opening
* No segmentation
* Cnidocytes (Stinging cells) present

Examples: Coral, Jellyfish, Hydra

Platyhelmintha

* Animal phylum
* Bilateral symmetry
* 1 gut opening
* No segmentation
* Flattened body

Examples: Tapeworm

Annelida

* Animal phylum
* Bilateral symmetry
* 2 gut opening
* Have segmentation
* Use peristalsis for moving

Examples: Leech, earthworm

Mollusca

* Animal phylum
* Bilateral symmetry
* 2 gut opening
* Invisible segmentation
* Use peristalsis for moving

Examples: Leech, earthworm

Arthropoda

• Animal phylum

• Bilateral symmetry

• 2 gut opening

• Have segmentation

• Exoskeleton made of chitin

Examples: Insects, Spiders

Chordata

* Animal phylum
* Bilateral symmetry
* 2 gut opening
* Have segmentation
* Have a notochord to support the body and sophisticated digestive system

Examples: Fish, dog, whale, zebra, human

Mammalia

* Animal class
* skin covered in hair or fur
* skin also has sweat glands
* habitat on land and in water
* warm-blooded
* breathing through lungs

Aves

* Animal class
* skin covered in feathers, which are waterproof and insulate the body
* habitat on land
* most species can fly and some can also swim
* warm-blooded and lay eggs
* breathing through lungs

Reptilia

* Animal class
* skin is dry and has scales
* habitat on land
* cold-blooded and most species lay eggs
* breathing through lungs
* homodont are sharp and cone-shaped

Amphibia

* Animal class
* skin is exposed and moist
* habitat on land and in water
* cold-blooded and lay eggs
* no external ears

Fish

* Animal class
* covered in slimy scales
* habitat in fresh or sea water, with fins and tails adapted to swimming and balancing
* cold-blooded and lay eggs
* breathing through gills