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Taxonomy
7th Grade Unit 35
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Bacteria | microscopic, single-celled organisms that are found almost everywhere on Earth |
Archaea | microorganisms that define the limits of life on Earth. They were originally discovered and described in extreme environments |
Taxonomy | the science of classifying and naming living organisms based on their shared characteristics, essentially organizing them into groups based on their similarities and differences |
Domain | the highest level of classification for living organisms, essentially dividing all life on Earth into a few major groups |
Eukarya | a domain of life that includes organisms with cells containing a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles |
Unicellular | an organism is made up of only one single cell |
Prokaryotic | a simple, single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles |
Eukaryotic | a cell that has a well-defined nucleus surrounded by a membrane, containing the genetic material, and also has other specialized structures called organelles, each with a specific function within the cell |
Multicellular | an organism made of more than one cell |
Kingdoms | the highest level of classification for living organisms, grouping together large groups of organisms with similar characteristics, like animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria, which share a common ancestry and evolutionary lineage |
Animalia | the kingdom that includes all animals, from insects to humans |
Plantae | the kingdom of all plants, encompassing everything from mosses and ferns to conifers and flowering plants |
Fungi | organisms that are not plants but are more closely related to animals. They are heterotrophic, meaning they digest food externally, and they lack chlorophyll and vascular tissue |
Protista | a diverse group of single-celled, eukaryotic organisms that are neither plants, animals, nor fungi, meaning they are essentially all other eukaryotes that don't fit into those three kingdom |
Eubacteria | prokaryotic microorganisms consisting of a single cell lacking a nucleus and containing DNA is a single circular chromosome |
Archaebacteria | a group of microorganisms considered to be an ancient form of life that evolved separately from the bacteria and blue-green algae |
Phylum | a major group of organisms within a kingdom, classified together based on shared fundamental characteristics, ranking above class and below kingdom in the taxonomic hierarchy |
Class | a taxonomic rank that groups together organisms sharing a significant number of characteristics, sitting below the phylum and above the order in the classification system |
Order | a taxonomic rank that groups together a collection of related families of organisms, sitting between "class" and "family" in the hierarchy |
Family | a group of related genera (types of organisms) that share similar characteristics, classified within a taxonomic hierarchy between the order and genus levels |
Genus | a group of closely related species that share many similar characteristics, considered a taxonomic rank above species and below family in the classification system |
Species | a group of organisms that can interbreed with each other and produce fertile offspring |
Binomial Nomenclature | a system of naming organisms using two parts: the first part identifies the genus and the second part identifies the species |