Taxonomist

Classification of things. Animals, plants, etc.

Taxon

Refers to organisms. Aligns with a category, refers to specific organisms.

The 8 Taxon levels

1. Domain, 2. Kingdom, 3. Phylum, 4. Class, 5. Order, 6. Family, 7. Genus, 8. Species

Rules for writing scientific names

Genus is capitalized and species is not. Both names are italicized or underlined.

Taxanomic Key

a simple tool used to identify a specific object

dichotomous key

Separates organisms into groups based on differences in certain characteristics, presenting two contrasting features of organisms leading from general to more specific.

Phylogeny

Root of tree, the science of creating evolutionary trees.

Symplesiomorphy

A shared ancestorial trait. Shared, old, character.

Plesiomorphy

Any ancestral traits that is not shared by members of the ingroup.

Synapomorphy

A shared derived trait. Perceived character that many species have.

Autapomorphy

Derived character that only one species has.

Outgroup

Any social groups or category to which an individual does not belong or does not psychologically identify.

Parsimony

The principle that the simplest explanation or model that fits the data is usually the best one.

Gametophyte Generation (n)

haploid production of male and female gametes

Sporophyte Generation (2n)

Diploid production of spores.

Alternation of Generations

the alternation between the haploid gametophyte and the diploid sporophyte in a plant's life cycle

Bryophyte

All land plants that do not have true vascular tissue. Gametophyte generation is dominant.

Tracheophyte

Refers to a plant with vascular tissue.

Vascular tissue

Xylem to transport water and dissolved minerals and phloem to transport sugars. Seedless tracheophytes produce flagellated sperm.