Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms. Taxonomy breaks down the diverse world of living species into understandable and conceptual groups. Scientists classify organisms by certain characteristics and other observations. The problem or current issue with taxonomy is that it is not close to being complete. Scientists still have to discover over 1.8 million species but the mystery of life on our Earth continues.
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3 Domains of Living Things
Out of all living things there are three domains. These domains are Archea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.
Archaea Domain:
Archaea are single-celled organisms that don't have a nucleus or organelles. They have been found quite recently and live in some of the most extreme environments. They, unlike bacteria and like eukarya, have 3 RNA polymerase. In addition, the cell membranes contain ether linkages. It has one kingdom
Bacteria Domain:
Bacteria are single-celled organisms that don't have a nucleus or organelles. They have the ability to remain dormant over years unlike archaea. In addition, they have only 1 RNA polymerase and their cell membrane contains ester bonds. It has one kingdom.
Eukarya Domain:
The Eukarya Domain contains all eukaryotic cells, cells with organelles in membranes. They are the organisms we see most often on a daily basis. Eukaryotic DNA is cut into chromosomes unlike bacteria and Archaea. It has 4 kingdoms.
Archaea Domain:
Archaea are single-celled organisms that don't have a nucleus or organelles. They have been found quite recently and live in some of the most extreme environments. They, unlike bacteria and like eukarya, have 3 RNA polymerase. In addition, the cell membranes contain ether linkages. It has one kingdom
Bacteria Domain:
Bacteria are single-celled organisms that don't have a nucleus or organelles. They have the ability to remain dormant over years unlike archaea. In addition, they have only 1 RNA polymerase and their cell membrane contains ester bonds. It has one kingdom.
Eukarya Domain:
The Eukarya Domain contains all eukaryotic cells, cells with organelles in membranes. They are the organisms we see most often on a daily basis. Eukaryotic DNA is cut into chromosomes unlike bacteria and Archaea. It has 4 kingdoms.
ACRONYM
D K P C O F G S |
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species |
HOW TO REMEMBER IT
Dear King Phillip Came Over Great Spaghetti |
The Six Kingdoms
Carl Linnaeus invented the system of classification. The first category is the Uni-Cellular, Eubacteria and Archaebacteria. The Uni/Multi-cellular, are Protista and Fungi. Protista has such a wide variety it's called the "junk Drawer Kingdom," by some scientists. The most complex, or Multi-Cellular kingdoms, are Plantae and Animalia.
Eubacteria Archaebacteria Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia
What Is A Dichotomous Key?
Dichotomous keys are designed to assist people with the identification of all types of living things from plants to microbes.
The word dichotomous comes from dichotomy meaning branching, contrasting or opposite ideas. A dichotomous key gives you a series of steps with a set of choices which are opposite or contrasting in nature that are initially very general and become more specific as one proceeds through the steps. By analyzing the physical characteristics of the object/organism in question and using the steps and choices given in the key, the observer can identify an object/organism based upon established traits.
The word dichotomous comes from dichotomy meaning branching, contrasting or opposite ideas. A dichotomous key gives you a series of steps with a set of choices which are opposite or contrasting in nature that are initially very general and become more specific as one proceeds through the steps. By analyzing the physical characteristics of the object/organism in question and using the steps and choices given in the key, the observer can identify an object/organism based upon established traits.
Using simple keys
The identification of biological organisms can be greatly simplified using tools such as dichotomous keys. It is a written set of choices, each involving two statements, that leads to the name of an organism. Scientists use these to identify unknown organisms.
The identification of biological organisms can be greatly simplified using tools such as dichotomous keys. It is a written set of choices, each involving two statements, that leads to the name of an organism. Scientists use these to identify unknown organisms.
Consider the following animals. They are all related, but each is a separate species. Use the dichotomous key below to determine the species of each.
Answers:
A: Deerus magnus B: Deerus pestis C: Deerus octagis
D: Deerus purplinis E: Deerus deafus F: Deerus humpis
As seen above:
A: Deerus magnus B: Deerus pestis C: Deerus octagis
D: Deerus purplinis E: Deerus deafus F: Deerus humpis
As seen above:
- the keys are mutually exclusive characteristics of biological organisms.
- they often begin with general characteristics and lead to more specific characteristics.
- you simply compare the characteristics of an unknown organism against an appropriate dichotomous key.
- if the organism falls into one category, you go to the next indicated couplet.