Taxonomy is naming and classifying organisms. Organisms are named Genus species, with the first word capitalized and the second lowercase. The different levels of taxonomy (from largest to smallest) are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, then species. The three major domains are Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. The different kingdoms in the domain Eukarya are Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
Bacteria are prokaryotic unicellular organisms that come in rods, cones, and spirals. The cell walls contain peptidoglycan, which can be detected in a gram stain. Bacteria have flagella which help them move. Chemoheterotrophs take in organic molecules. Photoautotrophs do photosynthesis. Chemoautotrophs use energy from chemical reactions for energy. Obligate Aerobes need oxygen to survive. Obligate Anaerobes can't survive with oxygen. Facultative Anaerobes can survive with and without oxygen.
Fungi, which aren't plants, are multi-cellular, except for yeasts. Hyphae are long strands of fungi, and mycellium are underground hyphae. Sac fungi have a reproductive sac. Yeast fungi are single celled sac fungi. Club fungi have club shaped bodies. They can reproduce sexually, asexually, or both.
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| An example of Club Fungi |
Plants first grew at the edge of water, and eventually were able to grow away from water. Some plants have a vascular system, meaning they can move resources throughout them. Some plant phyla include Bryophyta, which are non vascular, seedless plants, like moss. Pterophyta are seedless, vascular plants. Gymnosperms use cones to reproduce. Cycads look like palm trees, Ginkgo have only one remaining species, and conifers are the most common plant. Angiosperms are flowering plants, and produce seeds in fruit. An angiosperm can be a monocot, meaning it has a single seed leaf, or dicot, meaning it has a double seed leaf.
Invertebrates in the animal kingdom don't have vertebrates. Sponges, which are invertebrates, are the most primitive animals. Some phyla of invertebrates are Cnidarians, which have stinging cells, and two body forms, which are the Medusa and the Polyp. The classes of Cnidarians are Scyphozoans, Anthozoans, Hydrozoans, and Cubozoans. The phylum of Flatworms contains parasitic organisms with an incomplete digestive system. Molluska have a complete digestive tract, and either radula for feeding, a mantle, or a ctenidia, which is a respiratory system. Annelida are worms that have a segmented body, such as earthworms, marine worms, and leeches. Arthropods are some of the most diverse animals. They have an exoskeleton, jointed apendeges, segmented body pars, sensory organs, and an open circulatory system. Crustacea have two body sections, antennae, an exoskeleton, and a carapace, which is a hard outer shell. Echinoderms have an internal skeleton, a complete digestive system, and some can regenerate limbs. They also have a water vascular system, which uses water pressure to move.
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| Example of an Annelid |
Vertebrates, or chordates, unlike invertebrates, do have backbones. There are seven classes of vertebrates. Agnatha were the first vertebrates, and the two remaining groups are lampreys and hagfish. Chondricthyes have cartilage skeletons, have jaws, and must move to breathe. Osteichtyes are have bone skeletons, and also have jaws. An important type of fish is the lobe finned fish. This fish evolved into all tetrapods. You can learn more about this fish in the presentation I did in my class. Amphibians are tetrapods that live both on land and in water. They also go through metamorphosis, such as tadpoles turning into frogs. Reptiles are ectotherms, which means that their body temperature is determined by the environment. Class aves, which are birds, have hollow bones. Finally, class mammalia are large brained endotherms, which means their temperature isn't controlled by the environment. They have hair mammary glands, and sensitive ears.
Overall, this is probably the hardest unit so far, just because of the massive amount of content covered in it. I will continue to study, and hopefully be able to remember every phylum.
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