| Term | Definition |
| Virus | A protein and its DNA - not alive per se in they cannot metobolize on their own |
| Archaea | Virus Domain - oldest inhabitants of earth - prokaryotes - all life has evolved from these organisms |
| Eubacteria | Virus Domain - more evolved than archaea - prokaryotes - typically referred to as bacteria |
| Eukaryota | Virus Domain - made up of eurkaryotes |
| Monera | 1st Kindom - Prokaryotic organisms lacking membrane bound organelles. Bacteria fall into this kingdom |
| Protista | 2nd Kingdom - Simple eukaryotic organisms not complex enough to fall into the next kingdoms - reproduce sexually & may display mobility using flagella - algea & some water molds |
| Fungi | 3rd Kingdom - Eukaryotic organisms with multinucleated cells - decompose dead & dying organisms to obtain energy - cannot produce own food - mushrooms, molds, & yeast |
| Plantae | 4th Kingdom - Multicellular eukaryotes possessing cell wall, lack mobility & produce food thru photosynthesis - reproduce sexually - mosses, flowering plants, grasses |
| Animalia | 5th Kingdom - Multicellular eukaryotes not possessing cell walls & are mobile during some part of their lifespan - cannot self-reproduce, reproduce sexually - cats, dogs, humans, fish |
| Archeabacteria | Most primative (& rare) life form - exist in anaerobic environments - can use sulfur in place of oxygen to produce ATP |
| Eubacteria | True bacteria - found thru-out planet - microscopic - come in rod-like, spherical, or long twisted shapes |
| Autotrophic Eubacteria | Produce their own food via photosynthesis |
| Heterophic Eubacteria | Get their food from other organisms (E. coli) |
| Protista | Oldest Eukaryotes - single-celled or multi-cellular organisms with a nuclear membrane - may be independent or live in colonies |
| Animal-like Protista | Single-celled heterotrophs - protozoans (amoebas & parameciums) - can be parasitic & be a source of human disease (malaria) |
| Plant-like Protista | Autotophic - can be colonial, forming elaborate algea, or can exist individually - diatoms & dinoflagellates |
| Fungi-like Protista | Exhibit fungi behaviors - slime mold |
| Saprotrophic Fungi | Obtain food by ingesting dead organisms |
| Oomycota Saprotrophic Fungi | Reproduce sexually - water molds - causal agent for many agricultural catastrophes (Irish Potato Famine) |
| Zygomycota Saprotrophic Fungi | Reproduce asexually or sexually - bread mold |
| Ascomycoata Fungi | Largest division - form lichens thru symbiosis with algae - may reproduce sexually or asexually - saprotrophic |
| Basidiomycota Fungi | Reproduce sexually via their fruiting bodies - mushrooms, puffballs, shelf fungi.. |
| Deuteromycota Fungi | Very little is known about this group - causal agents for athlete's foot & ringworm |
| Mycorrhizae | Structures created by a symbiotic relationship of certain fungi with plant roots |
| Rhodophytes | Aquatic plant - red algea - live in water - oldest & most primative plants - cannot transport nutrients & water therefore unable to grow very large |
| Phaeophytes | Aquatic plants - brown algae - exhibit a pronounced alternation of generations |
| Chlorophytes | Aquatic plants - green algea - ancestors of terrestrial plants - store carbohydrates as starch, have cell walls made up of cellulose, have chlorophyll pigments - nonvascular - mainly freshwater plants |
| Bryophetes | Nonvascular terrestrial plants - mosses - demonstrate a distinct alternation of generations where gametophytes are the dominant form. |
| Rhizoids | Analagous to a root - anchor Bryophetes to the ground but do not conduct water transport |
| Pterophytes | Vascular Terrestrial Plants - Ferns - dominant generation is sporophyte - 1st with leaves, roots, & organs for transporting nutrients & water |
| Gymnosperms | Vascular Terrestrial Plants - Conifers (evergreens) - naked seeds - don't form flowers |
| Angiosperms | Vascular Terrestrial Plants - Flowering plants & deciduous trees - most evolved & successful group of plants |
| Porifera | Animal phylum - sponges - reproduce sexually & asexually - lack even a rudimentary nervous system |
| Cnidaria | Animal phylum - jellyfish, coral - exhibit radial symmetry & possess rudimentary nervous sytem - reproduce sexually & asexually |
| Platyhelminthes | Animal phylum - flatworms - more advanced nervous system with nerves & nerve clusters - 1st group with bilateral symmetry - digestive system consists of a gut with one opening |
| Nematoda | Animal phylum - roundworms - possess a more advanced nervous & digestive system - reproduce sexually |
| Mollusca | Animal phylum - clams, mussels - much more advanced nervous system with a rudimentary brain - exhibit 1st semblance of a distinct circulatory system & digestive tract w/two openings - reproduce sexually |
| Annelida | Animal phylum - earthworms - 1st group to demonstrate segmentation - a closed circulatory system - blood is separate from other fluids - each segment has a pseudo brain |
| Arthropda | Animal phylum - lobsters, spiders - hard exoskeleton & jointed limbs - brain & nervous cord - largest number of animals of any phylum |
| Echinodermata | Animal phylum - sea stars, sand dollars - deuterostomes (1st opening in digestive system became anus, 2nd the mouth) |
| Deuterostome | The first opening in the development of the digestive system became the anus, the second became the mouth |
| Protostomes | The first opening in the development of the digestive system became the mouth |
| Hemichordates | Animal phylum - marine worms - intermediate between enchinoderms & chordates |
| Chordata | Animal phylum - fish, birds, mammals - common characteristics include: notochord, dorsal hollow nervous cord, gill slits, bilateral symmetry, 3 embryonic germ layers, and coleom |
| Notochord | Rigid, cellular rod covered with supporting fibers - backbone |
| Dorsal Hollow Nervous Cord | Spinal cord - important in cellular communication |
| Coleom | Cavity between the gut and the body wall |
| Taxonomy | Identification & classification of organisms: Kingdom - Phylum - Class - Order - Family - Genus - Species |
| Binomial Nomenclature | Identifying species with only two words - 1st = genus, 2nd = species |
