Name: ________________________________________
Unit 2A: Life Activities & Taxonomy
I. Life Activities
 Nutrition
o autotroph
o heterotroph
o nutrients
 Transport
o passive transport
o active transport
 Cellular Respiration
o aerobic respiration
o anaerobic respiration
 Growth & Repair
 Regulations
o homeostasis
 Reproduction
o asexual
o sexual
 Synthesis
 Excretion
Per. _______
II. Taxonomy
 classification
 taxonomy
 Aristotle
 Linnaeus
o binomial nomenclature
 7 classification groups
o kingdom
o phylum
o class
o order
o family
o genus
o species
 6 kingdoms
o Eubacteria
o Archaebacteria
o Protista (protists)
o Fungi
o Plantae (plants)
o Animalia (animals)
 phylogeny
o cladistics
o cladogram
 dichotomous key
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I. Life Activities

Nutrition
o nutrients- substances from the environment that organisms need.
o organisms take nutrients from the environment, change them to forms that they can use.
o 2 types:
 autotrophs- organisms make their own food.
o

Transport
o passive transport- substances travel from an area of high concentration to an area of low
concentration
 no energy is involved with movement
o

 heterotrophs- obtain food from environment
organisms take nutrients, make them usable, and distribute them throughout.
active transport- substances travel from an area of low concentration to an area of high
concentration
 requires energy for movement
Cellular Respiration
o organisms release energy through chemical reactions

aerobic respiration- requires free oxygen

anaerobic respiration- does NOT require free oxygen

Synthesis
o when organisms create substances from nutrients from the environment ex: HCl in stomach

Growth and Repair
o when organisms increase in either # or size of cells.
o organisms replace and repair
Excretion
o wastes removed from organism’s body
o these wastes are created when other life functions are carried out.


Regulation
o all activities that help maintain a homeostasis
 condition of a constant/ stable internal environment
 ex. when you sweat or shiver

Reproduction
o process by which living things produce new organisms of their own kind
o 2 types:
 asexual- a single individual produces offspring that are identical to the parent.
 sexual- there are two parents and the offspring are not identical to either parent.
o reproduction is not required for the survival of the individual
o required for the species to survive
o new organisms are needed to replace ones that are lost
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Regents Questions:
1. Which process requires cellular energy?
A. diffusion
C. active transport
B. passive transport
D. osmosis
2. Which process is represented by the arrow in
the diagram?
A. growth
B. respiration
C. regulation
D. excretion
3. The life function of transport in an organism
directly involves those activities used to
A. absorb and distribute materials
B. obtain and hydrolyze materials
C. release energy from food
D. produce cellular waste products
4. Which term includes all the activities required
to keep an organism alive?
A. growth
C. excretion
B. metabolism
D. nutrition
6. When a person's level of physical activity
changes, the circulatory system supplies body
cells with amounts of nutrients and oxygen that
are appropriate to sustain the new level of
activity. This statement illustrates the concept
of
A. homeostasis
C. synthesis
B. pinocytosis
D. cyclosis
7. Which organism is classified as a
heterotroph?
A. mushroom (fungus)
C. maple tree
B. geranium
D. moss
8. Which substance is needed for aerobic
cellular respiration to occur?
A. oxygen
C. nitrogen
B. carbon dioxide
D. methane
9. Which two organisms in the diagram typically
reproduce asexually?
5. The transfer of energy from nutrients to ATP
is accomplished most directly by the process of
A. cyclosis
C. cellular respiration
B. diffusion
D. glucose synthesis
A. A and H
B. C and F
C. E and G
D. F and I
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II. Taxonomy

Classification
o grouping of objects or information based on similarities
o why do we need a system to classify and name organisms? organize & find things easily


Taxonomy – the science of classifying organisms
Aristotle
o developed first widely accepted system of biological classification

o classified all organisms into two groups: plants & animals
Linnaeus
o Swedish botanist
o devised classification system used today
o based on physical and structural similarities
o basis of modern classification system
o binomial nomenclature
 genus species
 scientific names italicized in print; underlined when handwritten
 First letter of genus capitalized, first letter of species in lowercase
 Homo sapiens
Scientific Names of Animals
Common Name
Genus
Human
Homo
Dog
Canis
Cat
Felis
Spanish lynx
Felis
Tiger
Panthera
Jaguar
Panthera
Leopard
Panthera
Bullfrog
Rana
Cameroom Toad
Bufo
Houston Toad
Bufo
Nile crocodile
Crocodylus
Caiman
Caiman
Jamaican boa
Epicrates
Puerto Rican boa
Epicrates
Jamaican iguana
Cyclura
Mona iguana
Cyclura
Komodo dragon
Varnaus
Desert monitor
Varanus
Tooth cave spider
Leptoneta
Aquatic box turtle
Terrapene
Snail darter fish
Percina
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or
Homo sapiens
Species
sapiens
familiaris
catus
pardina
tigris
onca
pardus
catesbeiana
superciliaris
houstonensis
niloticus
crocodilus
subflavus
inornatus
collei
stejnegeri
komodoensis
griseus
myopica
Coahuila
tanasi
Scientific Name
Homo sapiens
Canis familiaris
Felis catus
Felis pardina
Panthera tigris
Panthera onca
Panthera pardus
Rana catesbeiana
Bufu superciliaris
Bufo houstonensis
Crocodylus niloticus
Caiman crocodiles
Epicrates subflavus
Epicrates inornatus
Cyclura collei
Cyclura stejnegeri
Varnaus komodoensis
Varanus griseus
Leptoneta myopica
Terrapene coahuila
Percina tanasi

Scientific Name vs. Common Name
o here are some misleading common names:
 Ceylon frogmouth: Batrachostomus moniliger, is a bird.
 Flying fish: Parexocoetus mesogaster, do not fly, but glide.
 Flying squirrels: Idiurus zenkeri do not fly, but jump and glide.
 Killer whales: are not whales, but dolphins.
 Koala bears: Phascolarctos cinereus, are not bears, but marsupials.
 Galliwasp: Diploglossus lessorae, is not a wasp but a lizard.
 Giant panda bears: Ailuropoda melanoleuca, were once thought to be bears, but are
now considered to be more closely related to raccoons than bears. They’re now
referred to as giant pandas.
 Groundhogs: Marmota monax, are not hogs
“Groundhog” is another name for the woodchuck, a rodent.
 Guinea pigs: Cavia cobaya, are not pigs, but rodents.
 Horned toad: Phrymosoma cornutum, is not a toad. It is a lizard.
 Mudpuppy: or water dog, Necturus maculosus, is not a puppy or a dog, but an amphibian.
 Nightjars: make up a family of specialized nocturnal birds, including the Common Poorwill. There are about 67 species.
 Prairie dogs: Cynomys ludovicianus, are not dogs, but rodents related to woodchucks.
 Red bishop: Euplectes orix, is a bird belonging to the weaver family.
 Roach: Rutilus rutilus, is one of the cypriniform fish.
 Sandfish: Scincus philbyi, is not a fish but a desert skink, a type of lizard.
 Sea cucumbers: Stichopus Californicus, are not cucumbers or plants. They are a group
of echinoderms (small sea animals with hard, spiny shells) with bodies shaped like
cucumbers.
 Seahorse: Hippocampus obtusus, is not a horse, but a small semitropical fish.
 Slowworm: Anguis fragilis, is not a worm, but a lizard.
 Starfish: Asterias forbesi, are not fish. They belong to a group of invertebrates known
as echinoderms.
 Striped burrfish toad: Chilomycterus schoepfi, is not a toad but a fish.
 Tasmanian devil: Sarcophilus harrisi, is a marsupial.
 Titmouse: is not a mouse, but a bird. There are the tufted titmouse, Parus bicolor, the
plain titmouse, Parus inornatus, and bridled titmouse, Parus wollweberi.
 Weedy seadragon: Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, is a type of seahorse.
o these names can vary by region and can also be misleading.

Modern Classification
o based on evolutionary relationship
 external and internal structures
 geographical distribution
 genetic makeup
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7 Classification Groups:
o kingdom
King


o
phylum
Played
o
class
Cards
o
order
On
o
family
Fat
o
genus
Green
o
species
Stool 
largest & least specific
smallest & most specific
Examples:
Human
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Primate
Homindae
Homo
sapiens
Kingdom
Phylum/Division
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Lion
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Felidae
Panthera
leo
Tiger
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Felidae
Panthera
tigris
Pintail Duck
Animalia
Chordata
Aves
Anseriformes
Anatidae
Anas
acuta
Checking for Understanding:
1. Fill in the blanks:
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
2. Which two groups are used for an organism's scientific name? Genus & Species
3. Which of the following pairs is MOST closely related?
Acer rubrum & Acer saccharum
Acer rubrum & Chenopodium rubrum
4. The system we use for naming is called binomial nomenclature.
5. The science of classification is called taxonomy
6 Kingdoms:
o number and type of cells
o nutritional needs

KINGDOM
EUBACTERIA
MAJOR PHYLA
NONE
CHARATERISTICS
unicellular- one cell
heterotrophic- absorbs food (nutrients) from the environment
EXAMPLES
SALMONELLA
E. coli
unicellular- one cell
ARCHAEBACTERIA
NONE
autotrohpic- makes its own food - photosynthetic ; live in extreme
environments
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THERMOPHILES - heat
HALOPHILES - salty
KINGDOM
MAJOR PHYLA
PROTOZOA
- animal like
movement
CHARATERISTICS
unicellular- one cell, Larger than bacteria
heterotrophic- absorbs food (nutrients) from the environment
EXAMPLES
amoeba
PARAMECIUM
PROTISTA
ALGAE
- plant like
autotrohpic- photosynthetic
GREEN ALGAE
MOSTLY MULTICELLULAR
FUNGI
NONE
heterotrophic
Absorbs nutrients from digested food externally.
Often decomposers of plant and animal matter.
mushroom
YEAST
MOLDS
MULTICELLULAR - many cells
BRYOPHYTE
(simple plants)
photosynthetic- use sun to make energy;
MOSS
lack vascular tissue (no true roots, stem, or leaves)
PLANT
GRASSES
BUSHES
CACTI
TREES / FLOWERS
TRACHEOPHYTE
(complex plants)
MULTICELLULAR - many cells
PHOTOSYNTHETIC
have vascular tissue (true roots, stem, or leaves)
COELENTERATE
HOLLOW BODY - 2 CELL LAYERS THICK
jellyfish
ANNELID
Segmented
EARTHWORM
MULTICELLULAR,
HETEROTROPHIC,
ARTHROPOD
EXOSKELETON - outer skeleton OR covering
- jointed appendages
GRASSHOPPER, CRABS,
LOBSTER, INSECTS
GET ENERGY FROM
CONSUMING
OTHER
ORGANISMS
CHORDATE
(spinal cord)
HAVE A DORSAL NERVE CORD
AMPHIBIANS, FISH,
REPTILES, BIRDS,
MAMMALS
ANIMAL
all have the following
BODY
HYDRA
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Name: ______________________________________
Per. _______
1. Kingdoms – give an example of each
Animalia
Examples
Lion
Plantae
Moss
Fungi
Eubacteria
Archaebacteria
E. coli
Mushroom
Halophile
Protists
amoeba
2. Into what kingdom would each of the following be classified:
a. Unicellular prokaryotes that live in dust.
eubacteria
b. Unicellular eukaryotes that line in pond water.
protista
c. Multicellular eukaryotes that live all over the planet and consume food.
d. Unicellular prokaryotes that live in volcanic ash.
animalia
archaebacteria
e. Multicelluar eukaryotes that have cell walls and are heterotrophic.
f. Multicelluar eukaryotes that have cell walls and are autotrophic.
fungi
plantae
3. Which two animals is the tiger most closely related to?
jaguar & lion
4. Would you expect an animal with the name Rania concolor to look similar
to a mountain lion? Why or why not? No, different genus
5. Which animal is the house cat closest to? Mountain lion
6. Organisms that belong to the same class must belong to the same:
Scientific Name
Common Name
Panthera onca
Felis concolor
Panthera leo
Felis catus
Canis lupus
Panthera tigris
Jaguar
Mountain lion
Lion
House cat
Wolf
Tiger
(check)
______ Order _______ Phylum ________ Kingdom ________ Family
7. Fill in the blanks:
Kingdom  phylum  Class  order
 family  Genus  species
8. In each pair, circle the one that you would expect to find the most individual species:
Kingdom & Genus
Phylum & Kingdom
Class & Family
Order & Phylum
Genus & Order
Phylum & Class
Order & Class
Genus & Species
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Practice Regents Questions:
_______1. Which is the most specific term used to classify humans?
A. sapiens
B. Animal
C. Homo
D. Chordate
_______2.
The diagrams represent unicellular organisms. In the past, they were difficult to classify as either
plants or animals. Currently, these organisms are classified as
A. coelenterates
B. annelids
C. tracheophytes
D. protists
_______3. Acer saccharum is the scientific name for the sugar maple tree. Acer is the name of the
tree's
A. genus
B. phylum
C. species
D. kingdom
_______4. A classification system is shown in the table below.
This classification scheme indicates that
is most closely related to
A.
B.
C.
D.
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

Phylogeny - the study of evolutionary relationships
Biologists now group organisms into categories that represent evolutionary
descent (and not just physical similarities)
o derived traits- characteristics that appear more recently in a group but
are not seen in older organisms
o
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used to construct a cladogram
 a diagram that shows evolutionary relationships

Dichotomous Keys
o a step-by-step guide to help identify an organism
o follows a series of choices that lead you to the organism’s name
Example:
1. Has green colored body ......go to 2
Has purple colored body ..... go to 4
2. Has 4 legs .....go to 3
Has 8 legs .......... Deerus octagis C
3. Has a tail ........ Deerus pestis B
Does not have a tail ..... Deerus magnus A
4. Has a pointy hump ...... Deerus humpis F
Does not have a pointy hump.....go to 5
5. Has ears .........Deerus purplinis D
Does not have ears ......Deerus deafus F
Checking for Understanding:
1. A diagram that shows an evolutionary relationship is a cladogram
2. A characteristic that appears only in recent members is called a derived character
3. The study of evolutionary relationships is called phylogeny
4. A system to find the name of an unknown organism is a dichotomous key
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Name: _____________________________________
Per. _______
1. Every organism's scientific name consists of [ one | two | three ] words.
2. "Sea Monkey" is an example of a [ common name | scientific name ].
3. The science of naming and classifying organisms is called [ nomenclature | taxonomy ]
4. Organisms in the same genus, such as Canis lupus and Canis familiaris MUST also belong to the same
[ species | phylum ].
5. The taxon (group) directly under Phylum is [ class | order ].
6. Plantae and Animalia are two examples of [ species | kingdoms ].
7. Organisms that can interbreed with one another are classified as the same [ species | genus ].
8. The evolutionary history of a species is called [ phylogeny | taxonomy]
9. Biologists usually classify things according to their [habitat | appearance ]
10. The naming system developed by Linnaeus is called [ systematics | binomial nomenclature ]
11. Organisms with the names: Quercus rubra and Quercus phellos belong to the same [genus | species ]
12. The taxon (group) directly below Order is [family | class ]
13. For black bears and polar bears to be in the same family, they must also be in the same [ genus |order]
14. The second word of a scientific name is always [capitalized | lowercase ]
15. The scientific name is always written in [all capitals | italics ]
Regents Questions:
1. Fill in all of the blanks in parts 2 and 3 of the dichotomous key below, so that it contains information
that could be used to identify the four animals shown below.
Dichotomous Key
1. a. Legs present………………………………………………… Go to 2
b. Legs not present…………………………………………….. Go to 3
Characteristic Organism
2. a. Tail present........... IV (dog)
b. Tail absent........... II (spider)
3. a. Gills present........... III (fish)
b. Gills absent........... I (worm)
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2.
Dichotomous Key
1. a. tail fins are horizontal.……………..go to 2
b. tail fins are vertical…………………go to 3
2. a. has teeth or tusk……………………go to 4
b. has no teeth……………….………..Balaena mysticetus
3. a. has gill slits behind mouth………….go to 5
b. has no gill slits……………….……...Lepidosiren paradoxa
4. a. black with white underside…………Orcinus orca
b. tusk, gray with dark spots……..…...Monodon monoceros
5. a. head is hammer shaped…………....Sphyrna mokarran
b. tail fins are half the body length……Alopias vulpinus
Use the dichotomous key to identify the scientific name of the organism represented below.
Sphyrna makarran
____3. The evolutionary pathways of seven living species are shown in the diagram below.
Which two species are likely to have the most similar DNA base sequences?
(1) B and G
(3) B and C
(2) E and G
(4) C and D
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(2) 4. The diagram below illustrates possible evolutionary pathways of some species.
Which statement is a valid inference based on the information in the diagram?
(1) Species A is the common ancestor of all life on Earth.
(2) Species D is more closely related to species E than to species F.
(3) Species B is the ancestor of species F.
(4) Species C is the ancestor of species that exist at the present time.
Base your answers to questions 5 through 7 on the diagram below. Letters A through L represent
different species of organisms. The arrows represent long periods of geologic time.
____5. Which two species are the most closely related?
(1) J and L
(2) G and L
(3) F and H
(4) F and G
____6. Which species was best adapted to changes that occurred in its environment over the longest
period of time?
(1) A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) J
____7. Which two species would most likely show the greatest similarity of DNA and proteins?
(1) B and J
(3) J and K
(2) G and I
(4) F and L
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