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TASBiologyQuick questions
Unit 1: Biodiversity and the Interconnectedness of Life
Quick questions on Classification and Taxonomy - TCE Biology (Tasmania)
4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is binomial nomenclature?Show answer
Every species is given a two-part Latin name, a system called binomial nomenclature. The first part is the genus (capitalised) and the second is the species descriptor (lowercase). The whole name is italicised or underlined.
What are the three domains?Show answer
Older systems used five kingdoms, but molecular evidence (especially comparing ribosomal RNA) showed that life splits most fundamentally into three domains:
What is classification reflects evolution?Show answer
Modern classification is phylogenetic, meaning groups are built to reflect evolutionary descent. Organisms placed in the same group share a common ancestor and inherited features from it. Biologists use many lines of evidence to decide groupings, including:
What are dichotomous keys?Show answer
To identify an unknown organism, biologists use a dichotomous key, a series of paired statements that each split the possibilities in two. At each step you choose the option that matches the organism, which leads to the next pair until you reach a name. Keys are practical tools for fieldwork and rely on observable features such as body shape, number of legs, or leaf arrangement.
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