Kingdoms, Domains, and Phylogenetic Trees

Flashcards covering the classification of life into domains and kingdoms, cell characteristics, methods of nutrition and reproduction, and the interpretation of phylogenetic trees.

Taxonomy

A system that organizes organisms into 8 hierarchically-nested ranks: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

Binomial nomenclature

The system of naming species using their Genus and species names.

Phylogeny

The representation of the evolutionary history and relationships between groups of organisms.

Cladogram

A diagram showing a hypothetical evolutionary relationship with branches of equal length, focusing on shared traits and common ancestors represented by nodes.

3 Domains of Life

The three broadest ranks of classification: BACTERIA, ARCHAEA, and EUKARYA.

6 Kingdoms of Life

The six major groups of life: Bacteria, Archae, Protist, Plant, Fungi, and Animal.

Prokaryotic Cell

A cell type characterized by the absence of a nucleus or membrane-bound organelles, with DNA as a single circular chromosome loop; size ranges from 1-10\,̄um.

Eukaryotic Cell

A cell type that contains a nucleus surrounded by a nuclear envelope and membrane-bound organelles; size ranges from 10-100\,̄um.

Unicellular

An organism consisting of a single cell.

Multicellular

An organism made up of more than one cell.

Peptidoglycan

The material that composes the cell wall of organisms in the Kingdom Bacteria.

Cellulose

The material that composes the cell wall of plants and some protists.

Chitin

The material that composes the cell wall of fungi.

Autotrophs

Organisms that capture energy from sunlight to produce their own energy.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that get their nutrients and energy by consuming other organisms.

Asexual Reproduction

A method where offspring arise from a single parent and inherit the genes of that parent only, such as through binary fission or mitosis.

Sexual Reproduction

A method where the genetic material of two parents is combined to create an offspring, involving meiosis.

Aerobic respiration

The process of using oxygen to convert glucose into energy, predominantly in the mitochondria, yielding approximately $36-38\,ATP$.

Anaerobic respiration

The process of converting glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen, not performed in the mitochondria, yielding approximately $2-4\,ATP$.

Binary Fission

The primary means of asexual reproduction for prokaryotic cells.

Archaea (Kingdom)

Ancient, unicellular prokaryotes that often live in extreme environments; their cell walls do not contain peptidoglycan.

Protista

A eukaryotic kingdom consisting of microscopic organisms that do not fit into any other kingdom; can be unicellular or multicellular.

Plantae

Multicellular eukaryotic autotrophs with cell walls made of cellulose; they are described as sessile.

Fungi

Multicellular eukaryotes with cell walls made of chitin; they secrete digestive enzymes into the environment and absorb digestion products.

Animalia

Multicellular eukaryotic heterotrophs that lack cell walls and are typically motile.

Dichotomous keys

Tools used to identify specimens based on their observable or morphological characteristics.