Taxonomy: Classifying the Diversity of Life

• Kingdom, Phylum/Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
• Correct representation of a scientific name: Genus species or Genus species
• Examples: Homo sapiens, Zea mays, Daphnia magna

• protein coat outside
• genetic material can be either DNA or RNA
• cannot replicate itself; must use host cell to make DNA or RNA and to make proteins

examples of viral diseases: influenza, common cold, chicken pox, AIDS, polio, herpes, ...

Evolution of the kingdoms

 
 

Origin of Life on Earth:

• not fully explained
• necessary steps:
• origin of simple organic molecules from non-biological process
• synthesis of polymers from these simple organic molecules
• origin of replication
• packaging of biological molecules into cells

• cell membrane number and structure
• DNA presence and circular structure
• recent experiments indicating bacteria engulfed by larger cells can survive; both cells evolve as a result

Major characteristics upon which plant phylogeny is based:

• presence/absence of vascular tissue

 
• dominance of gametophyte versus sporophyte as plants alternate generations:

• seeds, pollen, flowers: adaptations to reproduction without depending on water

Plant Diversity and Medicine:

• Medicinal uses of Gymnosperms: Pacific Yew, Ephedra, Ginkgo
• Medicinal uses of Angiosperms: mistletoe, milk thistle, hawthorn, foxglove (SEE DOBSON PAPER)

Major characteristics upon which animal phylogeny is based:

• symmetry:

• number of tissue layers that develop:

• all animals develop from fertilized egg to two-layer gastrula stage: ectoderm and endoderm

• some animals develop a third layer at the gastrula stage: mesoderm (between the ectoderm and the endoderm)

• digestive tract complete or incomplete

• coelom: develops from mesoderm

• protostome condition
• deuterostome condition

Vertebrate Groups (Phylum Chordata)

• Characteristics of the phylum (evolved in ancestor to the phylum): dorsal hollow nerve chord, notocord, pharyngeal gill pouches; all still present at some time during embryonic development or adulthood

• mammals: the Class to which humans belong
• general characteristics (evolved in the ancestor to the class, present in all members of the class): fur (hair), mammary glands

• two views of phylogeny:

QUESTIONS:
1.  Correctly write the scientific name of the species to which you belong.  Now suppose you were a whole species, yourself.  Which of your names (first or last) would be more appropriate to use as a Genus name?  Which would be more appropriate to use as a species name? Why?
2.  The first life on earth was:
 a. prokaryotic and autotrophic
 b. prokaryotic and heterotrophic
 c. eukaryotic and autotrophic
 d. eukaryotic and heterotrophic
3. What process resulted in the oxygen based atmosphere present on earth today?
4. What is the endosymbiosis theory of the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts?  Give three lines of evidence supporting this theory.
5.  Which of the following best describes evolutionary changes that occurred in life on earth?
a. multicellular eukaryotes evolved from multicellular prokaryotes which evolved from unicellular prokaryotes
b. unicellular eukaryotes evolved from multicellular prokaryotes which evolved from unicellular eukaryotes
c. multicellular eukaryotes evolved from unicellular eukaryotes which evolved from unicellular prokaryotes
d. multicellular prokaryotes evolved from unicellular eukaryotes which evolved from unicellular prokaryotes
6.  Which kingdom is considered a "grab-bag" kingdom because it contains some species more closely related to animals but other species more closely related to plants?  What are the common characteristics of this kingdom?
7.  Which kingdoms contain unicellular organisms?  How do you distinguish these unicellular organisms from each other?
8.  In which kingdom(s) are all members autotrophic? In which kingdom(s) are all members heterotrophic? In which kingdom(s) do both autotrophs and heterotrophs occur?
9.  Give characteristics to distinguish between the Fungi and the Plantae.  Give characteristics to distinguish between the Fungi and the Animalia.
10.  Which kingdom(s) contain species with cells with cell walls?
11.  Give two examples of mutualistic bacteria that are important to humans
12.  In what major way do the kingdoms Archaebacteria and Eubacteria differ from the other kingdoms?
13.  Why are viruses not considered to be life?
14.  Give examples of diseases caused by bacteria.  Give examples of diseases caused by viruses.  Give examples of diseases caused by Protistans.
15.  Parasitic animals occur in several different phyla.  Give an example of parasites that are in the Platyhelminthes, the Nematoda, and the Arthropoda.
16.  Which animal phylum is the most structurally and ecologically diverse?
17.  What major form of medication has been derived from fungi?
18.  For each phylogeny shown on this handout, identify character(s) that evolved in the ancestral species to the modern groups.
19.  Vascular tissue evolved in plants in the ancestor to which modern groups?
20.  Seeds and pollen evolved in plants in the ancestor to which modern groups?
21.  The haploid generation of plants is called the ________________.  Does this generation reproduce by producing gametes or spores?  Are they produced through mitosis or meiosis?  The diploid generation of plants is called the ___________________.  Does this generation reproduce by producing gametes or spores?  Are they produced through mitosis or meiosis?
22.  Bilateral symmetry and a body made of three tissue layers evolved in the ancestor to which modern animal groups?
23.  A coelom evolved in the ancestor to which modern animal groups?
24.  A complete digestive tract evolved in the ancestor to which modern animal groups?
25.  Did vertebrates originally evolve in the water or on land?
26.  What features do amphibians have that adapt them to life on land?
27.  What feature evolved in the ancestor to birds, mammals, and reptiles such that they are better adapted to life on land than are the amphibians?
28.  Describe the forms of reproduction found in the three main groups of mammals.
29.  The rapid cell division that occurs early in embryogeny is called _______________.  How do each of the following change as a result of this: (a) the size of each cell, (b) the size of the whole embryo, (c) the amount of DNA in each cell, (d) the amount of DNA in the whole embryo.
30.  As a result of cleavage, an embryo develops into a solid ball of cells called a(n) ____________.  This subsequently develops into a hollow (fluid-filled) ball of cells called a(n) ____________.  At one point on the hollow ball, cells begin to move inward to form a tube.  This process is called _________________.  The tube is called the __________________.  The tube is made of a form of tissue called ______________________.  The tube will ultimately develop into the _______________system.  The entire embryo at the stage when the tube is present is called the _____________________.
31 .   At what stage of embryonic development in animals do the main tissue layers develop?
32.  What is the coelom?  How does it develop?  From which of the three main tissue layers does it develop?

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS ON THE DOBSON PAPER "Biodiversity and Human Health":

1.  From what proportion of plant species studied have we obtained a major drug?  According to Katy Moran, what people have most knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants, and what is happening to these people to make it harder to find plants that produce major drugs?

2.  From what kingdom do most medicinal products that are derived from natural products come?  What proportion of the top ten prescription drugs in the US are based on products from this kingdom?  Describe one medical condition for which, in 1995 when Dobson wrote his paper, products of this kingdom were used in Europe but not the USA; products what species were used to treat this condition?

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS ON THE KURTENBACK PAPER "Study Examines Coral Reefs"

1.  Coral reefs are produced by animals in what phylum?  The presence of coral reefs benefits members of other phyla also; how do they benefit non-human animals in another phylum (give the phylum and state the benefit)?  Finally, state two ways in which coral reefs potentially benefit humans.
 
2. What is "bleaching" of coral reefs?  It occurs because of the death of organisms from which kingdom?  What are two other factors causing loss of coral reefs?