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 | the species classified in Domain Archaea, are thought to be more ancient than bacteria and yet more closely related to eukaryote ancestors |
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 plant like, animal-like, or funguslike |