Biology - The Living World and Taxonomy

Flashcards for Biology lecture notes focusing on the living world, taxonomy, and classification, designed in a vocabulary style.

Biology

The science of life forms and living processes.

Description of Living Organisms

Systematic description of life forms, necessitating detailed systems of identification, nomenclature, and classification.

Sharing of Similarities

Recognition that all present-day living organisms are related to each other and to organisms that ever lived on Earth.

Ernst Mayr

Evolutionary biologist known as 'The Darwin of the 20th century' who researched ornithology, taxonomy, and the history and philosophy of biology.

Biodiversity

The number and types of organisms present on earth, ranging between 1.7-1.8 million known and described species.

Nomenclature

The process to standardize the naming of living organisms such that an organism is known by the same name worldwide.

Identification (in biology)

Ensuring an organism is described correctly and knowing to what organism the name is attached.

International Code for Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN)

Agreed principles and criteria for scientific names of plants.

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN)

Evolved principles for scientific names of animals.

Binomial Nomenclature

A naming system with two components: the Generic name and the specific epithet.

Generic Name

The genus name in a binomial nomenclature.

Specific Epithet

The specific name that indicates a particular species.

Classification

The process by which anything is grouped into convenient categories based on observable characters.

Taxa

The scientific term for categories used to classify organisms, which can indicate categories at different levels.

Taxonomy

The process of characterization, identification, classification, and nomenclature.

Systematics

Derived from the Latin word ‘systema,’ meaning systematic arrangement of organisms, it considers evolutionary relationships.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

A hierarchy of steps, with each step representing a rank or category, part of the overall taxonomic arrangement.

Taxon (pl. taxa)

A unit of classification, representing a rank in the taxonomic hierarchy.

Species

The lowest category in the taxonomic classification of organisms.

Genus

A group of related species with more common characters compared to species of other genera.

Family

A group of related genera with fewer similarities compared to genus and species, characterized on vegetative and reproductive features.

Order

Assemblage of families with a few similar characters; a higher taxonomic category.

Class

Includes related orders; a higher taxonomic category.

Phylum

A higher category for animals, with classes based on common features such as the presence of a notochord.

Division

A higher category for plants, with classes assigned based on a few similar characters.

Kingdom

The highest category in the classification system, such as Kingdom Animalia or Kingdom Plantae.