Module 3 : Bio diversity

Taxonomy

The science of describing and naming living things.

Classification

The organization of living things into different groups based on a hierarchical system.

Phylogeny

The study of the ancestry and evolutionary relationships among living organisms.

Linnaean System

A hierarchical classification system established by Linnaeus, including Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Autotroph

Organisms that use inorganic CO2 to produce their own sugars (carbon fixation).

Heterotroph

Organisms that obtain carbon from already fixed carbon sources (consumers).

Chemotroph

Organisms that derive energy from chemical compounds.

Phototroph

Organisms that obtain energy from light and also from chemicals.

Prokaryotes

Simple, unicellular organisms that lack a nucleus and have circular DNA.

Eukaryotes

More complex organisms that can be unicellular or multicellular, with linear DNA and membrane-bound organelles.

Endosymbiosis

The theory that eukaryotic cells originated from prokaryotic cells living symbiotically within one another.

Primary Symbiosis

The process where a single-celled organism engulfs another cell but does not digest it.

Secondary Symbiosis

When a eukaryotic cell engulfs another eukaryotic cell that has already undergone primary symbiosis.

Multicellularity

The condition where organisms are composed of multiple cells that may be interdependent.

Genetic Program of Development

The genetic instructions that control cell division and differentiation in multicellular organisms.

Bryophytes

Non-vascular, seedless terrestrial plants such as mosses and liverworts.

Gymnosperms

Vascular, seed-producing plants that produce "naked" seeds, such as conifers.

Angiosperms

Flowering plants that produce "covered" seeds, classified into monocots and dicots.

Asymmetry

A lack of regular symmetry in organisms, as seen in sponges.

Radial Symmetry

Organisms that can be divided into similar halves from multiple planes, such as jellyfish.

Bilateral Symmetry

Organisms with a single plane of symmetry, resulting in left and right mirror images, such as humans.

Hyphae

Filaments that make up the body (mycelium) of fungi.

Mycorrhizae

Symbiotic associations between fungi and plant roots that enhance nutrient uptake.

Deuteromycetes

A group of fungi characterized by the absence of observed sexual reproduction.

Cambrian Explosion

A period of rapid diversification of animal life in the ocean.