BIO_114 LAB 1

Systematics

The study of the relationships and diversity of organisms, including their categorization and identification.

Taxonomy

The branch of systematics concerned with naming and classification of organisms.

Phylogeny

The evolutionary history of a species or group of related species.

Dichotomous Key

A tool for helping find distinguishing characteristics that organisms share, based on a series of observations.

Monophyletic

A taxonomic group that contains an ancestor and all of its descendants.

Cladistics

A method of classifying living organisms based on shared derived characteristics.

Prokaryotes

Organisms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus, including bacteria and archaea.

Peptidoglycan

A polymer that makes up the cell wall of bacteria, consisting of sugar and amino acids.

Cyanobacteria

Photosynthetic bacteria that can perform photosynthesis, contributing to oxygen production on Earth.

Binomial Nomenclature

The two-part scientific naming system for organisms, consisting of genus and species.

Eukarya

One of the three domains of life, consisting of all organisms with eukaryotic cells.

Linnaean Hierarchy

A system of classification that ranks organisms into hierarchical categories such as domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

Morphological Data

Data relating to the form and structure of organisms, used in phylogenetic analysis.

Species Fact Sheet

A document containing key information about a specific species, including anatomy, physiology, habitat, and behavior.

Gram-positive

Bacteria that have a thick peptidoglycan layer in their cell walls and retain a purple color after Gram staining.

Gram-negative

Bacteria that have a thin peptidoglycan layer and an outer membrane, which do not retain purple color after Gram staining.

Archaea

A domain of prokaryotic organisms that are distinct from bacteria and often inhabit extreme environments.

Binary Fission

A method of asexual reproduction in prokaryotes where a single cell divides into two identical cells.

Specimen

An individual animal or plant used as an example for study or display.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.