Taxonomy and Phylogeny

Taxonomy and Phylogeny

Name _________________________

Please include the questions and point values with your answers.

Remember to answer the question completely. Be sure to answer all the parts of each question.

Points each

1. What is taxonomy? What is the importance of taxonomy? What work must a taxonomist do?

2. What are the two main contributions of Carolus Linnaeus to the field of taxonomy?

3. Who was the taxonomist who developed cladistics in 1950? What is the goal of cladistics? Define cladistics. Define the term clade.

4. In traditional Linnaean classification, what are the characteristics of scientific names? What is the definition of a species?

5. What does it mean to say that taxonomy is a hierarchical system? Define and explain the terms taxon and category. Give examples.

6. Define, give examples and explain characters and character states. Define ancestral character and derived character.

7. What is a cladogram? Explain the terms synapomorphy and plesiomorphy.

8. What is outgroup analysis? Explain the principle of parsimony.

9. Distinguish between monophyletic, paraphyletic, and polyphyletic groups.

10. What are the three domains of living organisms? What types of organisms are included in each domain? (Note: There are two domains that consist of prokaryotic organisms. Distinguish between the two groups in your answer.)