05 Jan Sunflower Yes Yes Yes

Lab 6: Taxonomy

INSTRUCTIONS:

• On your own and without assistance, complete this Lab 6 Answer Sheet electronically and submit it via the Assignments Folder by the date listed in the Course Schedule (under Syllabus).

• To conduct your laboratory exercises, use the Laboratory Manual located under Course Content. Read the introduction and the directions for each exercise/experiment carefully before completing the exercises/experiments and answering the questions.

• Save your Lab 6 Answer Sheet in the following format: LastName_Lab6 (e.g., Smith_Lab6).

• You should submit your document as a Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file for best compatibility.

Pre-Lab Questions

1. Use the following classifications to determine which organism is least related out of the three. Explain your rationale.

Table 2: Classifications

Classification Level American Green Tree Frog European Fire- Bellied Toad Eastern Newt

Domain Eukarya Eukarya Eukarya

Kingdom Animalia Animalia Animalia

Phylum Chordata Chordata Chordata

Class Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia

Order Anura Anura Caudata

Family Hylidae Bombinatoridae Salamandridae

Genus Tursipops Bombina Notophthalmus

Species cinerea bombina viridescens

2.

3. How has DNA sequencing affected the science of classifying organisms?

4. You are on vacation and see an organism that you do not recognize. Discuss what possible steps you can take to classify it.

Exercise 1: Dichotomous Key Practice

Table 3: Dichotomous Key Results

Organism Binomial Name

I BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD

SELAPHOROUS PLATYCERCUS

Ii HOUSE MOUSE MUS MUSCULUS

Iii NORTHERN CRANBERRY VACCINIUM OXYCOCCUS

Iv CHANNELL-BILLED TOUCAN RAMPHASTOS VITELLINUS

V WHITE OAK QUERCUS ABIA

Vi MEXICAN REDKNEE TARANTULA EUATHLUS SMITHI

Vii GARDEN SNAIL HELIX ASPERSA

Viii ZEBRA FINCH TAENIOPYGIA GUTTATO

Ix JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE LONICERA IAPONICA

Xi AMERICAN GOLDFINCH CARDUELIS TRISTIS

Xii EUROPEAN RHINOCEROS BEETLE ORYCTES NASICORNIS

Xiii PILEATED WOODPECKER DRYOCOPUS PILEATUS

I BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD

SELAPHOROUS PLATYCERCUS

Post-Lab Questions

1. What do you notice about the options of each step as they go from number one up?

2. How does your answer from Question 1 relate to the Linnaean classification system?

Exercise 2: Classification of Organisms

Data Tables and Post-Lab Assessment

Table 2: Key Characteristics of Some Organisms

Organism Kingdom

Domain Defined Nucleus Motile Cell Wall Photosynthesis Unicellular

E. coli Yes Yes

Protozoa Yes Yes Yes

Mushroom Yes Yes

Sunflower Yes Yes Yes

Bear Yes Yes

Figure 4: Exercise 2 – Classification of Organisms Flow Chart

Post-Lab Questions

1. Did this series of questions correctly organize each organism? Why or why not?

2. What additional questions would you ask to further categorize the items within the kingdoms (Hint: think about other organisms in the kingdom and what makes them different than the examples used here)?

3. What questions would you have asked instead of the ones that you answered about when classifying the organisms?