Taxonomy Study Guide

Name: 

Modified True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.  If false, change the identified word or phrase to make the statement true.

Scientists use taxonomy to determine the evolutionary history of organisms. _________________________

Taxonomy provides consistent ways to name organisms. _________________________

Scientific names of organisms consist of two English terms. _________________________

Two different organisms cannot have the same scientific name. _________________________

Genus is the basic biological unit in the Linnaean system of classification. _________________________

A genus is a taxonomic category that contains several families. _________________________

Under the Linnaean system of classification, organisms are grouped on the basis of similarities in structure. _________________________

Linnaeus devised eight levels of classification categories for living things. _________________________

The least inclusive group to which an organism can be assigned is its kingdom. _________________________

Kingdoms are subgroups of phyla. _________________________

A species is a larger taxonomic group than a genus. _________________________

Bird wings and insect wings are examples of analogous structures. _________________________

Organisms that have similar traits but evolved independently are the result of convergent evolution. _________________________

Cladistics is used to determine the sequence in which different groups of organisms evolved. _________________________

In modern systematics, studies of the changes in the skeletons of vertebrates have helped researchers to estimate the time at which each species began to evolve. _________________________

Comparing the sequence of DNA bases in the genes of several organisms is used to determine the order in which the organisms evolved. _________________________

All organisms in the kingdom Animalia are multicellular heterotrophs whose cells lack cell walls. _________________________

Archaea are eukaryotes that are characterized by several unique biochemical characteristics. _________________________

Traditionally, bacteria have been classified on the basis of their shape, cell wall composition, and metabolism. _________________________

Most organisms in the kingdoms Plantae and Animalia are multicellular. _________________________

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Taxonomy is

An advantage of our scientific naming system is that

All scientific names of organisms must be

Linnaeus’s two-word system for naming organisms is called

In the Linnaean system of classification, the level that identifies one unique organism is the

The largest division that a group of organisms can belong to is a

Placement in each level of classification is based on

Similar genera are grouped into a(n)

Analogous structures

Traditional systematics emphasizes the importance of

Similar features that evolve through convergent evolution are called

Convergent evolution produces analogous characters in different species as the result of

A phylogenetic tree differs from a cladogram in that a phylogenetic tree

Studies of fossils of dinosaurs and birds show that

A model used by biologists to represent evolutionary history among species is called a

Derived characters are traits

During Linnaeus’ time, scientists divided all living organisms into

Sponges are animals that were once classified as

Which of the following characteristics was used to reclassify sponges?

The kingdoms Eubacteria and Archaebacteria were once grouped in a kingdom called

Four of the kingdoms include eukaryotes and the other two include

Which of the following is not a characteristic used to differentiate kingdoms?

Protista is an example of a

Which two kingdoms contain both unicellular and multicellular organisms?

One difference between plants and animals is that plants are

Completion
Complete each statement.

The current system used for naming organisms was developed by ____________________.

The two-word system for naming organisms is called _________________________.

The scientific name of an organism gives biologists a common way of ____________________ regardless of their native languages.

All names assigned to organisms under the Linnaean system are in the ____________________ language.

The unique two-word name for a species is its ____________________ name.

All living things are grouped into one of three ____________________.

There are ____________________ levels of classification in the modern classification system.

A kingdom contains many ____________________.

Classes with similar characteristics are assigned to a(n) ____________________.

Each level of classification is based on ____________________ shared by all the organisms it contains.

Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens all belong to the same ____________________.

Traditionally, scientists have used differences in appearance and ____________________ to classify organisms.

Unlike cladistics, traditional systematics places more ____________________ on some traits than on others.

Analogous structures are found in ____________________ taxa as a result of similar environmental conditions.

The type of evolution that results in similar characteristics found in different organisms as the result of selection within similar environments is called ____________________ evolution.

The evolutionary history of a species is called its ____________________.

Shared derived characters are found in organisms that once shared a(n) ____________________ ancestor.

A method of analysis that reconstructs phylogenies by inferring relationships based on shared characteristics is called ____________________.

A model developed by systematists that uses shared derived characters to show the evolutionary history of different organisms is called a(n) ____________________.

Cladistics is used to determine the ____________________ in which different groups of organisms evolved.

Animals that appear early on a cladogram do not share as many of the same ____________________ traits as the animals that appear later on the cladogram.

Modern systematic biologists use the ____________________ rate of DNA mutations like a “molecular clock.”

Bacteria have strong exterior cell walls made of ____________________.

An organism made of many cells that are permanently associated and that coordinate their activities is called a(n) ____________________ organism.

Eukaryotes that are not fungi, plants, or animals are called ____________________.