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Name:
ANSWER KEY
Period:
Date:
Topic #1: Taxonomy
1) What is taxonomy?
system of naming and classifying organisms
2) Name the eight levels of taxonomic categories, starting with the most general and ending with the
most specific.
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
3) What are the names of the SIX kingdoms? Next to each one, write whether it is prokaryotic or
eukaryotic.
Name of Kingdom
Prokaryotic or Eukaryotic?
Eubacteria
Prokaryotic
Archaebacteria
Prokaryotic
Protista
Eukaryotic
Fungi
Eukaryotic
Plantae
Eukaryotic
Animalia
Eukaryotic
Phylum
4) A ______________________
is divided into several different classes.
Genus
5) All members of several different, closely related species belong to the same _______________.
6) Why do organisms have scientific names?
So that scientists (or anyone) can communicate exactly what organism they are talking
about even if the person they are communicating with calls it something else (like if they
are speaking a different language).
7) Can two different organisms have the same scientific name? Why or why not?
No, all organisms must have their own, unique scientific name. Otherwise it would cause
confusion and defeat the purpose of using scientific names.
8) Identify each of the leaves below using the dichotomous key provided.
I.
Betula (birch)
___________________________
II.
Aesculus (buckeye)
___________________________
III.
Carya (pecan)
___________________________
IV.
Liquidambar (sweet gum)
___________________________
V.
Cercis (redbud)
___________________________
VI.
Magnolia (magnolia)
___________________________
VII.
Robinia (locust)
___________________________
Name:
ANSWER KEY
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Topic #2: Prokaryotic Kingdoms
1) Which kingdoms are the ONLY ones that are entirely prokaryotic?
Eubacteria and Archaebacteria
2) What does “prokaryotic” mean?
a cell without a nucleus or membrane-bound organelles
3) How can you remember that these kingdoms are prokaryotic?
They both have the word “bacteria” in their names and the only prokaryotic organisms are
bacteria.
4) Is it possible for prokaryotic organisms to be multicellular? Why or why not?
No, prokaryotic cells are too simple (they do not have mitochondria, chloroplasts, Golgi, ER,
etc.). Such simple cells are unable to specialize into specific tissues or work together as a
multicellular organism.
5) What is an extremophile?
An extremophile lives in a very extreme environment, such as high salt, high or low
temperature, very acidic, etc.
6) Which kingdom contains extremophiles?
Archaebacteria
7) Can prokaryotes be autotrophic?
Yes
8) What does “autotrophic” mean?
an organism can make its own food (like through the process of photosynthesis); it does not
have to consume other organisms as a food source
9) Can prokaryotes be heterotrophic?
Yes
10) What does “heterotrophic” mean?
an organism must get its nutrients by consuming other organisms
11) Label the parts of the cell below.
Pili
DNA (genes) NOT A NUCLEUS
Ribosomes
Flagellum
Cell Membrane
Cell Wall
12) Describe the function of each part of the cell you just labeled:
a. attach the cell to surfaces, can also be used to exchange DNA
b. contains the genetic information needed for the cell to live and function
c. makes protein for the cell
d. helps the cell move (swim)
e. protects the cell, gives it support
f.
regulates what can enter or leave the cell
pro
13) The cell that you labeled is a _____karyotic
cell. How can you tell?
It does not have a true nucleus (there isn’t a membrane around its DNA), nor does it have
membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria, chloroplasts, Golgi, and ER.
Name:
ANSWER KEY
Period:
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Topic #3: Eukaryotic Kingdoms
1) Which kingdoms contain organisms that are eukaryotic? Next to each kingdom you list, write an
example of an organism that belongs to that kingdom.
Protista (Euglena, Amoeba), Fungi (mushroom, yeast), Plantae (moss, tree, flower), Animalia
(human, insect, fish)
2) What does “eukaryotic” mean?
cells have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
3) Is it possible for any of these kingdoms to have BOTH prokaryotic AND eukaryotic organisms? If
so, which one(s)?
NO! They all belong to Domain Eukarya so they are all eukaryotic
4) Which of the eukaryotic kingdoms contain BOTH unicellular and multicellular organisms?
Protista and Fungi
5) Which of the eukaryotic kingdoms contain organisms that are autotrophs?
some protists and all plants (NO fungi or animals)
6) What does “autotroph” mean?
an organism that can make its own food
7) Which of the eukaryotic kingdoms contain organisms that are heterotrophs?
ALL fungi and animals are heterotrophs, and also SOME protists (no plants, not even a
Venus flytrap!)
8) What does “heterotroph” mean?
an organism that must consume other organisms for food (organic molecules)
9) Which of the eukaryotic kingdoms contain organisms that have a cell wall?
SOME protists, ALL plants, and ALL fungi
10) Which kingdom does this single-celled organism belong to? How do you know?
Protista: it is eukaryotic, autotrophic (it has
chloroplasts), single-celled, and lacks a cell wall
Since it is eukaryotic, it cannot be Archaea or
Bacteria
Since it is autotrophic, it cannot be a fungus or
an animal.
Since it lacks a cell wall and is unicellular, it
can’t be a plant.
11) Which kingdom does this multicellular organism belong to? How do you know?
This is an animal cell. It can’t be a fungus or a
plant because it doesn’t have a cell wall. Since it
is multicellular it is probably not a protist (since
most of them are single-celled).
Since it has a nucleus we know it is eukaryotic so
it can’t be eubacteria or archaebacteria.
12) Which kingdom does this multicellular organism belong to? How do you know?
This is a plant cell, it has a cell wall and
chloroplasts, which means it is an autotroph.
Since it has a nucleus we know it is eukaryotic so
it can’t be eubacteria or archaebacteria.
13) You are looking at the cells of a multicellular heterotroph under a microscope. You see many
organelles, like mitochondria, ribosomes, ER, Golgi, and lysosomes. Does it belong to a
prokaryotic or eukaryotic kingdom? Which one(s) might it possible belong to?
Eukaryotic (it has membrane-bound organelles). It could belong to any of the eukaryotic
kingdoms (protista, fungi, plantae, animalia).
14) You discover a new species living in the rainforest. It is multicellular and heterotrophic, and when
viewed under a microscope, its cells have cell walls. What kingdom does it belong to? How do
you know?
It is a fungus because it is heterotrophic and multicellular, but has cell walls and is
therefore not an animal.
15) The organism Cercis canadensis is a multicellular, photosynthetic eukaryote that has cell walls
made of cellulose. What kingdom does it belong to? How do you know?
It is a plant; the distinguishing feature here is the cell wall and also the fact that it is
photosynthetic.
16) Alterna alternaria is a multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryote that has cell walls and produces
spores to reproduce. It has a fuzzy appearance when it grows over the surface of its food source.
What kingdom does it belong to? How do you know?
This is a mold and belongs to kingdom Fungi. While it is multicellular and heterotrophic, the
presence of cell walls means it cannot be an animal.
17) Why is it often difficult to classify organisms in kingdom Protista?
Protists can be difficult to classify because they do not have a unifying set of
characteristics. Basically, if an organism is eukaryotic and doesn’t really fit into any of the
other kingdoms, it is called a protist.
Name:
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Topic #4: Viruses
1) What kingdom (if any) do viruses belong to? Why?
They do not belong to a kingdom because they are not alive. Only living things are classified
into kingdoms.
2) Which characteristics of life do viruses have?
They have genetic material (heredity), can make more of themselves (but only if a host cell
is present), and can somewhat respond to the environment (through mutations)
3) Which characteristics of life do viruses NOT have?
NO metabolism, NO homeostasis, NO cellular organization, and cannot grow (unless you
count assembly within the host cell
4) How do viruses reproduce?
They either inject their genetic material (DNA or RNA) into the host cell or “trick” the
host cell into letting them in, then the genetic material takes over the host cell’s
“machinery” and starts producing more viruses instead of the normal cell functions. When
the cell is full of new viruses, it bursts open and dies.
genetic information
protein coat
5) What two things do all viruses have? ___________________
& ____________________
6) Do viruses have cell structures/organelles like bacteria? If so, which ones?
They have DNA that is NOT in a nucleus, like bacteria, but they do not have cytoplasm,
ribosomes, cell wall, or a cell membrane
7) How do viruses make you sick?
The virus particles target specific parts of your body, and as they infect these cells, they
cause them to die. Your immune system targets infected cells and virus particles for
destruction, and if the immune system is faster than the viral infection, you get better. If
your immune system cannot destroy the virus (like if it mutates) then you may get worse and
eventually die.
8) What are some diseases caused by viruses? What part of the body do these viruses affect?
Viral Disease
Part of Body Affected
Cold and/or Flu
Sinuses, nose, throat
Hepatitis
Liver
Rabies
Brain
HIV/AIDS
Immune system
Mumps
Salivary glands
9) What kind(s) of nucleic acids might a virus have?
either DNA or RNA
10) How does your body get rid of viruses?
Your immune system targets them for destruction.