Term | Definition |
Binomial Nomenclature | Linnaeus’s system of naming organisms, which gives a scientific two-word Latin name to each species--the first part is the genus name and the second is the specific epithet. |
Class | Taxonomic group that contains one or more related orders. |
Classification | Grouping of organisms or objects based on a set of criteria that helps organize, communicate, and retain information. |
Division | Taxonomic term used instead of phylum to group related classes of plants and bacteria. |
Domain | Taxonomic group of one or more kingdoms. |
Family | Taxonomic group of similar, related genera that is smaller than a genus and larger than an order. |
Genus | Taxonomic group of closely related species with a common ancestor. |
Kingdom | Taxonomic group of related phyla or divisions. |
Order | Taxonomic group that contains related families. |
Phylum | Taxonomic group of related classes. |
Taxon | Named group of organisms, such as a phylum, genus, or species. |
Taxonomy | Branch of biology that identifies, names, and classifies species based on their natural relationships. |
Character | Inherited morphological or biochemical feature that varies among species and can be used to determine patterns of descent. |
Cladistics | Taxonomic method that models evolutionary relationships based on shared derived characters and phylogenetic trees. |
Cladogram | Diagram with branches that represents the hypothesized phylogeny or evolution of a species or group; uses bioinformatics, morphological studies, and information from DNA studies. |
Molecular Clock | Model that uses comparisons of DNA sequences to estimate phylogeny and rate of evolutionary change. |
Phylogeny | Evolutionary history of a species. |
Archaea | Prokaryotes whose cell walls do not contain peptidoglycan. |
Fungus | Unicellular or multicellular eukaryote that is stationary, absorbs nutrients from organic materials in the environment, and has cell walls that contain chitin. |
Protist | Unicellular, multicellular, or colonial eukaryote whose cell walls may contain cellulose; can be plantlike, animal-like, or funguslike. |