Having trouble with our terms? Here is an overview of some vocabulary you may come across on our website. 
 

Biology - the study of life

Clade- a taxonomic grouping that includes only a single ancestor and all of its descendants

Cladistics- a phylogenetic classification system that uses shared derived characters and ancestry as the sole criterion for grouping taxa 

Cladogram- a diagram that is based on patterns of shared, derived traits and that shows the evolutionary relationships between groups of organisms

Derived character- a feature that evolved only within a particular taxonomic group

Phylogenetic diagram- a branching diagram that models the relationships by ancestry between different species or other taxonomic groups

Phylogenetics- the analysis of evolutionary, or ancestral, relationships between taxa

Shared character- a feature that is shared by all members of a particular group of organisms

Systematics- the classification of living organisms in terms of their natural relationships; it includes describing, naming, and classifying the organisms

Binomial nomenclature- a system for giving each organism a two-word scientific name that consists of the genus name followed by the species name

Biodiversity- the variety of organisms considered at all levels, from populations to ecosystems

Class- in a traditional taxonomic system, the category contained within a phylum or division and containing orders

Domain- in a modern taxonomic system, the broadest category that contains kingdoms

Family- in a traditional taxonomic system, the category contained within an order and containing genera

Genus- in a traditional taxonomic system, the category contained within a family and containing species

Kingdom- in a traditional taxonomic system, the highest taxonomic category, which contains a group of similar phyla

Order- in a traditional taxonomic system, the category contained within a class and containing families

Phylum- in a traditional taxonomic system for organisms other than plants, the category contained within a kingdom and containing classes

Species- a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring; also the level of classification below genus and above subspecies

Subspecies- a taxonomic classification below species that groups organisms that live in different geographical areas, differ morphologically from other populations of the species, but can interbreed with other populations of the species

Taxon- any particular group within a taxonomic system

Taxonomy- the science of describing, naming, and classifying organisms

Bacteria- in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom make up of prokaryotes organisms that usually have a cell wall and that reproduce by cell division; this domain aligns with the traditional kingdom of Eubacteria

Archaea- a modern taxonomic system, a domain made up of prokaryotes that can live in extreme environments that are differentiated from other prokaryotes by various important chemical differences; this domain aligns with the traditional kingdom Archaebacteria 

Eukarya- in a traditional taxonomic system, a domain makes up all eukaryotes; aligns with the traditional kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Archaea

Eubacteria- in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom that contains all prokaryotes except Kingdom Archaebacteria; biologists more recently prefer to classify these organisms as Domain Bacteria

Archaebacteria- in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of prokaryotes that can live in extreme environments; differentiated from other prokaryotes by various important chemical differences; biologists more recently prefer to classify these organisms as Domain Archaea

Protista- a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of mostly one-celled eukaryotic organisms that are not readily classified as either plants, animals, or fungi

Fungi- in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom make up of complex, multicellular organisms that lack cell walls, are usually able to move around, and possess specialized sense organs that help them quickly respond to their environment

Plantae- in a traditional taxonomic system a kingdom made up of eukaryotic, multicellular organisms that have cell walls made mostly of cellulose,that have pigment that absorbs light, and that supply energy and oxygen to themselves and to other life-forms through photosynthesis

Animalia- in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom make up of complex, multicellular organisms that lack cell walls, are usually able to move around, and possess specialized sense organs that help them quickly respond to their environment

Biome- A biological community of distinct plants and animal species that have adapted to the region's climate.Niche: An organism's ecological role or job in the enviornment

Generalists- Organisms that can live in many different environmental conditions

Specialists- Organims that can live in a small range of environmental conditions. A certain factor restricts them from survivng in a broad range of enviornmental conditions

Conformers- Organisms that can't regulate their internal conditions, such as body temperature, so they depends on the enviornment for help

Regulators- Organisms that can regulate their own internal conditions using energy. They can stay consistant in a wide range of temperatures

Dormancy- Reduced activity during periods of unfavorable environment conditions, rather than moving

Migration- Moving to a more favorable habitat because of unfavorable environmental conditions in the current habitat

Producers- Organisms that make their own organic molecules from energy, usually through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

Consumers- Organisms that eat other organisms for energy

Herbivores- Plant-eating organisms

Carnivores- Meat-eating organisms

Omnivores- Organisms that eat both plants and other organisms

Detrivores- Organisms that feed on decaying organisms

Decomposers- Organisms that feed on the dead remains of other organism