Y7 Unit 3 Biological Sciences Glossary

Flashcards for Y7 Unit 3 Biological Sciences Glossary 1

classification

The process of sorting things into groups.

characteristics (or features)

A quality that describes the distinctive feature of an individual organism.

scientist

Person who learns about science and carries out enquiries.

organism

A living thing.

taxonomy

The science of naming, describing and grouping all living things.

taxonomist

Scientist who specialises in naming and grouping living things.

taxa

Modern classification system of classifying living things into 7 levels called taxa (singular called taxon) – Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus & Species (King Phillip Came Over For Good Spaghetti)

genus

A group of closely related species.

species

A group of organisms which can reproduce with each other to produce fertile offspring.

dichotomous key

Is a tool used to organise information or classify organisms (or objects), where at each branch or stage, there are two choices (or two-part statement). Each choice leads to another two choices and so on, until there are no more choices, and the organism (or object) is identified.

keys

Are used to represent information – can be written, pictorial or table. 2 types – branched key (flow-chart) or tabular key (in a table format).

Carl Linnaeus

Swedish botanist and taxonomist who created a scientific naming system for classifying living things.

binomial system

Is a two-name system created by Linnaeus to name organisms.

scientific name

The name that describes the appearance of an organism or where it was discovered based on its genus and species. It also tells the relationship between organisms. When it is typed, italics is used – Ursus horribilis. When it is written, they are underlined – Ursus horribilis

MRS GREN

A mnemonic to describe the characteristics of living things.

non-living

Something that never had the characteristics of a living thing.

dead

Something that was once living but no longer has the characteristics of a living thing.