Chapter 9 Classification Terms

(from green Life Science classroom textbook)

1. classification--the arrangement of organisms into orderly groups based on their similarities and presumed evolutionary relationships

2. kingdom--the most general of the seven levels of classification

3. phylum--the level of classification after kingdom; the organisms from all the kingdoms are sorted into phyla

4. class--the level of classification after phylum; the organisms in all phyla are sorted into classes

5. order--the level of classification after class; the organisms in all the classes are sorted into orders

6. family--the level of classification after order; the organisms in all orders are sorted into families

7. genus--the level of organization after family; the organisms in all families are sorted into genera

8. species--the most specific of the seven levels of classification; characterized by a group of organisms that can mate with one another to produce fertile offspring

9. taxonomy--the science of identifying, classifying, and naming living things

10. dichotomous key--an aid to identifying unknown organisms that consists of several pairs of descriptive statements; of each pair of statements, only one will apply to the unknown organism, and that statement will lead to another set of statements, and so on, until the unknown organism can be identified

11. Archeabacteria--a classification kingdom containing bacteria that thrive in extreme environments

12. Eubacteria--a classification kingdom containing mostly free-living bacteria found in many varied environments

13. Protista--a kingdom of eukaryotic single-celled or simple, multicellular organisms; kingdom Protista contains all eukaryotes that are not plants, animals, or fungi

14. Plantae--the kingdom that contains plants--complex, multicellular organisms that are usually green and use the sun's energy to make sugar by photosynthesis

15. Fungi--a kingdom of complex organisms that obtain food by breaking down other substances in their surroundings and absorbing the nutrients

16. Animalia--the classification kingdom containing complex, multicellular organisms that lack cell walls, are usually able to move around, and possess nervous systems that help them be aware of and react to their surroundings