click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Biology Vocab
Chapter 17
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Taxonomy | Science of classifying and naming organisms. |
Taxon (plural: taxa) | Level within the Linnaean system of classification (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, or species) that is organized into a nested hierarchy. |
Binomial Nomenclature | Naming system in which each species is given a two-part scientific name (genus and species) using Latin words. |
Genus | First name in binomial nomenclature; the second most specific taxon in the Linnaean classification system that includes one or more physically similar species, which are thought to be closely related. |
Phylogeny | Evolutionary history of a group of related species. |
Cladistics | Method of organizing species by evolutionary relationships in which species are grouped according to the other that they diverged from their ancestral line. |
Cladogram | Diagram that displays proposed evolutionary relationships among a group of species. |
Derived Characteristic | Trait that differs in structure or function from that found in the ancestral line for a group of species; used in constructing cladograms. |
Molecular Clock | Theoretical clock that uses the rate of mutation to measure evolutionary time. |
Mitochondrial DNA | DNA found only in mitochondria, often used as a molecular clock. |
Ribosomal RNA | RNA that is in the ribosome and guides the translation of mRNA in to a protein; also used as a molecular clock. |
Bacteria | One of three domains of life, containing single-celled prokaryotes in the kingdom bacteria. |
Archaea | One of three domains of life, containing single-celled prokaryotes in the kingdom Archaea. |
Eukarya | One of the three domains of life, contains all eukaryotes in kingdoms Protista, Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia. |