7.14A: Taxonomy

How do scientists classify and name organisms?

• Scientists classify and name organisms based on age and gender.

• Scientists classify and name organisms by using only similarities between organisms.

• Scientists classify and name organisms by examining physical aspects of organisms and comparing them to other living and extinct organisms.

• Scientists classify and name organisms by examining similarities and differences between organisms.

• Scientists classify and name organisms by their population size and the number of offspring they have.

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How does the taxonomic system help scientists study the diversity of life on Earth?

• It eliminates the need for further research on how organisms evolve.

• It allows scientists to compare organisms based on their physical traits alone.

• It organizes organisms into categories that reflect evolutionary relationships, helping scientists track how different species are related.

• It groups organisms into categories based on their geographic locations.

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How does binomial nomenclature help in the classification and identification of organisms?

• It gives every organism a single name based on its habitat.

• It assigns each organism a two-part Latin name, with the first part indicating the genus and the second part the species.

• It categorizes organisms by the order in which they were discovered.

• It organizes organisms based on the size of their population.

Why is it best for scientists to use the name from the standardized taxonomic system?

• The standardized names differentiate mountain lions from pumas.

• The standardized name is less descriptive of the animal that has been observed.

• Communication with other scientists about mountain lions will be reduced.

• All scientists will be using one name for mountain lions.

A biologist recorded data about the wing spans and beak shapes of different types of birds.

How might the biologist categorize these birds based on the data table?

• By wingspan only

• By beak shape only

• By both wingspan and beak shape

• By neither wingspan nor beak shape

Why is the classification of organisms into a taxonomic system important for scientific research?

• It helps scientists organize and identify organisms based on shared characteristics.

• It allows scientists to change an organism’s classification based on personal preference.

• It prevents species from evolving by keeping them in fixed groups.

• It ensures all organisms remain in the same classification forever, even if new information is discovered.

A taxonomist notebook showed the following taxonomic information about a cat and a lion: Based on this classification information, which statement is true about domestic cats and lions?

• They cannot interbreed because they belong to different families.

• They are equally related to all other mammals.

• They evolved from completely different ancestors.

• They share many characteristics with each other since they are in the same family.

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A researcher is studying three mammals found in North America: a black bear, a grizzly bear, and a fox.

• - The black bear's scientific name is Ursus americanus.

• - The grizzly bear's scientific name is Ursus arctos.

• - The fox's scientific name is Vulpes vulpes.

• Based on this information, which two animals are most closely related?

• Black bear and fox

• Grizzly bear and fox

• Black bear and grizzly bear

• All three are equally related

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A student is comparing the classifications of a wolf (Canis lupus) and a coyote (Canis latrans).

Which statement correctly describes the relationship between these two animals?

• They belong to different domains.

• They belong to the same genus but are different species.

• The belong to the same species but different subspecies.

• They belong to different kingdoms.

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Scientists were hired to study plant-based medications with the goal of creating a new health beverage. They first need to classify the plant chemical compounds using the data they have collected, which is shown in the table.

Using your knowledge of the taxonomic system, provide a detailed explanation as to how you can categorize the groups of plant chemical compounds. Compare your system to the taxonomic system.