AP Biology
Korzeniewski
Name___________________________
Date__________________Per_______
Biodiversity Unit – PDQ’s 1-4
Biodiversity 1 – Classification
Due Date: ____________________
Stamp: _________________
Textbook Reading: Ch. 23
Presentation Prezi: Biodiversity 1: Classification
Supplementary Resources:
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Crash Course Biology
o Taxonomy – Life’s Filing System: Biology #19
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Bozeman’s Science: Paul Anderson:
o Cladograms
o Classification
o Phylogenetics
Big Questions:
 What is the pattern of life’s diversity that has developed during the history
of life on Earth?
 How do we determine evolutionary relationships between organisms?
 What are the characteristics of life that are useful for determining
evolutionary relationships?
Questions to Answer:
1. What determines which domain an organism is in?
2. What factors determine which kingdom an organism is in?
3. Why has the old “Kingdom” system proved to be impractical?
4. How has DNA technology changed the way that classification is done?
5. Explain the relationship between taxonomy and phylogeny?
Things you should make sure you understand:
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How the Linnaean Hierarchy is used to classify organisms.
How organisms are classified using binomial nomenclature.
How to properly write an organism’s scientific name
How to make and read a cladogram.
The ideas of maximum parsimony and maximum likelyhood.
The differences between mono-, poly-, and paraphyletic groups in a
phylogenetic tree.
Biodiversity 2 – Domains
Due Date: ____________________
Stamp: _________________
Textbook Reading: Ch. 26, 27
Presentation Prezi: Biodiversity 2: Domains
Supplementary Resources:

Bozeman’s Science: Paul Anderson:
o The Three Domains of Life
o Bacteria
o Archae
o Eukarya
Big Questions:
 How can we think about organizing the diversity of life?
 What are the major features of organisms that we use to classify them at
the domain level?
Questions to Answer:
1. Explain why the prokaryote/eukaryote dividing line represents a
fundamental division among organisms.
2. Explain why we can infer that the Universal Common Ancestor of al life
on earth was:
a. Unicellular
b. Heterotrophic
c.
Used DNA as its genetic material
3. In eukaryotic cells, chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis, and
mitochondria are the site of aerobic cellular respiration. How are bacteria
able to carry out photosynthesis and aerobic cellular respiration without
these organelles?
4. Why do bacteria evolve so much faster than multicellular eukaryotes?
5. Generally speaking, why do antibiotics only affect bacterial cells and not
eukaryotic cells?
Things you should make sure you understand:
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The differences between transformation, transduction, and conjugation, as
methods of horizontal transfer of genetic information among bacteria.
The following modes of nutrition and give examples of organisms that
utilize each one.
1. Chemoheterotrophic nutrition
2. Photoautotrophic nutrition
3. Chemoautotrophic nutrition
4. Photoheterotrophic nutrition
Why archae are placed in their own domain of life, even though they have
only been known to science since the 1970’s.
Biodiversity 3: Eukarya
Due Date: ____________________
Stamp: _________________
Textbook Reading: Ch. 28-34
Presentation Prezi: Biodiversity 3: Eukarya
*Note this is a 2 part topic
Supplementary Resources:

Crash Course Biology
o Comparative Anatomy – What makes Us Animals: Biology #21
o Simple animals – Sponges, Jellies & Octopuses: Biology #22
o Complex Animals – Annelids & Arthropods: Biology #23

Bozeman’s Science: Paul Anderson:
o Protists
o Fungi
o Plants
o Animals
Big Questions:
 How is the Eukaryotic domain of life organized?
 What are the characteristics of eukaryotes that are used to classify them?
Part 1 – Protists, Plants, Fungi
Questions to Answer:
1. Draw the overall phylogenetic tree shown in this presentation (you can
use straight lines, if you want) Label each branch.
2. Explain what qualifies a eukaryotic organism as belonging to each of the
following kingdoms, and give an example member of each kingdom.
a. Protista
b. Plantae
c. Fungi
d. Animalia
3. Why are seaweeds classified as protists even though they are
multicellular?
4. Explain the advantage of each of the following adaptations seen in plants:
a. Vascular tissue
b. Seeds
c. Pollen
d. Flowers
e. Fruit
5. Why is it thought that fungi are more closely related to animals than they
are to plants?
Things you should make sure you understand:
 How to identify a eukaryote as a protist, plant, fungus, or animal if given a
description of the features of that organism.
 The characteristics that serve to establish the major divisions of the fungi.
 The characteristics that serve to establish the major divisions of the plants.
Part 2 – Invertebrates
Questions to Answer:
1. Draw the overall phylogenetic tree shown for the invertebrates (you can
use straight lines of you want). Label each branch.
2. Define and compare the following groups of terms
a. Radial symmetry vs. bilateral symmetry
b. Aceolomates vs. pseudocoelomates vs. coelomates
c. Protostomes vs. deuterostomes
d. Diploblastic vs. triploblastic
3. Explain the advantage of cephalization in animals.
Things you should make sure you understand:
 How to identify an animal as any of the following if given descriptions of
the major characteristics of the animal:
o Proifera
o Cnidaria
o Platyhelminthes
o Nematode
o Annelid
o Mollusca
o Arthropoda
o Echinodermata
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Provide representative members of each of the groups above.
Biodiversity 4 – Chordates
Due Date: ____________________
Stamp: _________________
Textbook Reading: Ch. 34
Presentation Prezi: Biodiversity 4: Chordates
Supplementary Resources:

Crash Course Biology
o Chordates: Biology #24

Bozeman’s Science: Paul Anderson:
o The Evolution of Vertebrate Diversity
Big Questions:
 How is the chordate phylum organized?
 What are the characteristics of chordates that are used to classify
them?
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Where do humans fit within the larger context of life’s diversity?
Questions to Answer:
1. Draw the overall phylogenetic tree shown for the chordates (you can use
straight lines if you want) Label each branch.
2. What characteristics do all chordates share?
3. Explain the advantage of each of the following adaptations seen in plants:
a. Jaws
b. Amniotic eggs
c. Four-chambered heart
4. Compare the following species of hominids:
a. Ardipithecus sp.
b. Australopithecus sp.
c. Homo erectus
d. Homo sapiens
5. What makes humans unique among animal species?
Things you should make sure you understand:
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How to identify an animal as any of the following if given descriptions of
the major characteristics of each animal:
o Agnatha
o Gnathostomes
o Chondricthyes
o Osteichthyes
o Tetrapods
o Anphibia
o Reptilian
o Aves
o Mammalian
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Provide representative example members of each of the groups listed
above.
Why we think that birds evolved from dinosaurs
Why we think that humans and apes share a recent common ancestor,
and when we think the lineages diverged.
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