Ecology and Taxonomy

Bio Lesson 25 July: Ecology

ECOLOGY

is the study of how living things interact with each other and with their environment.

Things are interconnected with one another in one way or another.

Environment consists of non-living (Abiotic) and living (Biotic) factors

Biotic Factors:

• Living stuff

Abiotic Factors:

• Air composition, sunlight, etc. light
• affects many living organisms, not just plants
• Temperature
• affects physiological activities of all living organisms
• Water
• essential for life.
• organisms may have specially adapted features for survival in places with a lot of or very little water
• primary source of energy → the SUN

TAXONOMY

Binomial nomenclature

• a two part scientific naming system, consisting of
• genus ( includes one or more physically similar species)
• species
• is always written in Italics

e.g.

Written as:

Homo sapiens

↓ ↓

Genus  Species

Linnaeus’ classification system

• has seven levels
• Kingdom (e.g. Animalia), 
• Phylum(e.g. Chordata), 
• Class(e.g. Mammalia), 
• Order(e.g.Primates), 
• Family(e.g. hominidae), 
• Genus (e.g. Homo), 
• Species (E.g. Homo Sapiens)
• Levels get increasingly specific from kingdom to species 
• The creatures in each level are included in the level above it

Have to be able to identify order.

Questions that may beasked: Can you name organisms that have a common order?

E.g. bobcat, lion, shaggy mane mushroom.

Example:

	Bobcat	Lion	Shaggy mane mushroom-cat
Kingdom	Animalia	Animalia	Fungi
Phylum	Chordata	Chordata	Basidiomycota
Class	Mammalia	Mammalia	Homobasidiomycetae
Order	Carnivora	Carnivora	Agaricales
Family	Felidae	Felidae	Copricaceae
Genus	Lynx	Panthera	Coprinus
Species	Lynx rufus	Panthera leo	Coprinus comatus

This system has its limitations:

• ** Linnaeus taxonomy does not account for molecular evidence.
• Linnaean system based only on physical similarities
• e.g. Family: Canidae put together because of physical similarities
• physical similarities are not always the result of close relationships
• Genetic similarities more accurately show evolutionary relationships

Do note that Classification is always a work in progress

THE TREE OF LIFE

• shows our most current understanding
• There are 6 Kingdoms
• Animalia,
• Plantae, 
• Protista, 
• Archaea, 
• Bacteria, 
• Fungi
• The three domains in the tree of life branch into the six kingdoms.
• Bacteria
• Bacteria kingdom
• includes prokaryotes in the kingdom bacteria
• one of the largest groups on earth
• classified by shape, need for oxygen, and diseases caused

• archaea 
• Archaeal kindom
• and eukarya
• Protista Kingdom
• Domain Eukarya branches into the Protista Kingdom

Then the tree of life branches off into the Animalia, Plantae and Fungi kingdoms.

modern taxonomy

6 kingdoms

- more traditional

- based on morphological characteristics, eg

-major cellular structure,

-methods of obtaining nutrients

-metabolism

-3 domains

derived from molecular biology

(not impt.) based on comparing sequences of ribosomal RNA to determine common ancestry

What you need to know:

Key concept

The current tree of life has three domains (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya)

-All living things bear scientific names that use the binomial signature (two parts, reflecting its genus and species)

- Linnaeus Classification System: Seven levels (need to remember all seven)

- Linnaeus taxonomy does not account for molecular evidence.

- Interpret data given from this classification system

- There are six kingdoms and (preceding that) 3 domains

- Domain Bacteria branches into the Bacteria kingdom

- Domain Archaea branches into the Archaeal kingdom

- Domain Eukarya (all eukaryotes) branches into the Protista Kingdom

- Then the tree of life branches off into the Animalia, Plantae and Fungi kingdoms.

- NOT required to memorize the scientific names of various organisms

- Classification of living things is a work in progress

- Living things cannot exist alone, there must be a relationship between them.

- Living things are adapted to the environment where they live. (impt for ecology)

- Ecology is the study of how living things interact with each other and with their environment.

- Abiotic factors & biotic factors

NOTES: Mr D will go through the rest of ecology next week to prepare for the FA.

Key Concept: Organisms can be classified based on physical similarities (what can be observed from these living things)

                       Such as whether they live in water, on land, or float in the air sleeping.

Classification and Diversity

Linnaeus developed the scientific naming system still used today, known as the Binomial Naming System/Nomenclature