Taxonomy – Biology

Here are some video links from the lesson: 

You are to answer the following questions in your own words. Please post the questions with your answers in the text box below to submit your work. Remember to use complete sentences, use proper grammar, and dont forget to proofread and spell check your work before submitting it. This may require additional internet research, so be sure to cite your sources.

1. Instead of a brown bear, in the taxonomy example in the lesson, let’s say we had a giant panda. Which taxa would change? Find out what they would change to and report your findings here.

2. In the lesson, it was mentioned that some scientists use six kingdoms instead of five. What is the sixth kingdom they use?

3. In the breakdown of taxa above there is something missing. There is a category above “kingdom” in the system above, a taxon called “domain.” There are three domains. Find out what they are and report them here.

4. If you were going to use morphology, which of these animals would you think is most related to a hawk: a shark, a bat, or an alligator? Explain what morphological criteria you used to make your choice.

5. Find out which animal is actually most closely related to the hawk: shark, bat, or alligator. Report your findings and explanation here.

Use complete sentences to define the following terms or phrases in your own words. (Not all the terms are in the lesson. Using a dictionary or outside site for help is fine, and sometimes necessary, but be sure to use your own words and cite your source!)

6. Phylogeny

7. Taxonomy

8. Cladistics

9. Morphology

10. Chordata