Game Smartz

Organizing Life and Classification

Science

archaea

a domain of unicellular prokaryotes with cell walls, they live in extreme environments
archaea Simple Definition

bacteria

a domain of unicellular prokaryotes with cell walls
bacteria Simple Definition

binomial nomenclature

the two-word (genus and species) naming system for organisms, like homo sapiens
binomial nomenclature Simple Definition

cladistics

a biological classification system based on evolution from a shared ancestral line
cladistics Simple Definition

cladogram

a branching diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships between species
cladogram Simple Definition

class

a taxonomic grouping of similar orders
class Simple Definition

classification

grouping things by similarity
classification Simple Definition

derived character

a feature of a species its ancestors did not have
derived character Simple Definition

domain

the highest taxonomic group, it is divided into kingdoms
domain Simple Definition

eukarya

in taxonomy, the domain of all eukaryotes - Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia
eukarya Simple Definition

family

in taxonomy, a group below an order and above a genus
family Simple Definition

genus

a group made up of similar species
genus Simple Definition

kingdom

the largest group into which an organism can be classified
kingdom Simple Definition

molecular clock

a model that compares DNA mutation rates to estimate how long two species have been evolving independently
molecular clock Simple Definition

order

a taxonomic group that consists of related families
order Simple Definition

phylogeny

the evolutionary history of an organism and related species
phylogeny Simple Definition

phylum

a taxonomic group within a kingdom, it is divided into classes
phylum Simple Definition

protist

a unicellular or multicellular organism that is not plant, animal or fungus
protist Simple Definition

taxon

a named group of organisms, like a phylum, genus, or species
taxon Simple Definition

taxonomy

the scientific classification and naming of organisms
taxonomy Simple Definition

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