Taxonomy Task Cards

Endosymbiotic theory

Eukaryotic organelles (mitochondria and chloroplasts) originated from prokaryotic cells

Why was the early classification of organisms by appearance problematic?

They were not accurately showing evolutionary relationships so there were errors such as misclassifications and overlooking genetic diversity.

What 2 helpful contributions did Linnaeus make to classifying organisms?

Hierarchical classification and binomial nomenclature

In which four kingdoms are organisms made up of eukaryotic cells?

"Protista", Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia

How are the kingdoms Eubacteria and Archaebacteria similar and different?

They are both unicellular and prokaryotes. Eubacteria is the most abundant organism on Earth and can causes diseases but Archaebacteria only lives in extreme environments.

What are the levels of organization in order from least similar to most similar?

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

Why does a dichotomous key provide only two choices when identifying organisms?

It means divided into two parts and providing two contrasting possibilities helps narrow down and classify an organism

Give an example of an organism characteristic that would be good to add to a dichotomous key

Has wings? ; Does not have wings?

Clade

A group of organisms believed to have evolved from a common ancestor

In a cladogram, do organisms that come after a derived character share or not share that characteristic?

Shares the characteristic

How is a mold made?

An imprint in rock

How is a cast made?

A mold filled with minerals

How is a trace made?

Fossils of tracks, feces, etc.

How is a preserved body part made?

Organisms preserved in tree sap, tar, or ice

What is a weakness of using the law of superposition to determine the age of a fossil?

It shows only a relative age compared to things around it not an approximate in years

What is the name of the evolutionary pattern where organisms evolve rapidly and then have periods of very little change?

Punctuated equilibrium

Iron-59 has a half life of 45 days. 30 g of this isotope is used for a medical test. How much iron-59 should be left after 90 days?

7.5 g

Which two levels of organization are used to create an organism’s scientific name?

Genus and Species

What would be an example of a derived character between a bony fish and a frog?

Lungs (ability to breathe)

In a cladogram, are organisms that are shown closer together more or less closely related?

More closely related

What two pieces of information are needed for the radiometric dating of a fossil?

The rate at which the isotope decays and how much of the isotope is left in the fossil.

Which type of scientist studies fossils?

Paleontologists

Law of Superposition

The oldest rock layers are at the bottom and the newest layers are at the top because sediment falls on existing rock.

Difference between gradualism and punctuated equilibrium

Gradualism is evolution occuring gradually while punctuated equilibrium is when a species evolves rapidly followed by periods of little change.

Amniotic egg

Found in reptiles, birds, and mammals which allows an embryo to develop in a contained space.

What is the taxonomy for a cougar?

Kingdom - Animalia

Phylum - Chordata

Class - Mammalia

Order - Carnivora

Family - Felidae

Genus - Puma

Species - Concolor