4.1 Classification of Marine Organisms

Ocean

a continuous mass of seawater on the Earth's surface, its boundaries formed by continental land masses ridges on the ocean floor

Seas

smaller bodies of saltwater which are frequently enclosed by land; they are found where the ocean and land meets

Taxonomic Hierarchy

the classification of the species within living organisms by describing the domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

Binomial Nomenclature

the two-part latin name given to each species comprising the genus followed by the species

Dichotomous Key

a key for the identification of organisms based on a series of choices between alternative characters, with a direction to another stage in the key, until the species is identified