Biology 102/103 - Lab 6 Taxonomy Assignment

Biology 102/103 – Lab 6 Taxonomy Assignment

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Biology 102/103

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).

Answer ALL questions in your own words. If a direct quote is needed, put the
words in quotation marks and cite the source.

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) file to the
assignment folder for best compatibility.

Post a copy of the lab in Turnitin.com. There will be a 10 point deduction if this is
not done.

If a photo is missing, there is a 10 point deduction.

Please include a photo of the lab.

YES – A photo is required for this lab, too! Please take a pic of you working on
the lab, your computer screen, anything and include a piece of paper with your
name and the date the photo was taken.
Each question is worth 8 points.
Each table, including the dichotomous key results, and tree are worth 15 points.

Pre-Lab Questions
1. Use the following classifications to answer the questions below.
a. Which organism (great white shark, whale shark, blue whale) is least related out of the three?
How do you know?
b. How does a complete scientific name from Kingdom to Species show which organisms are
more closely related to each other? Explain.

Table 2: Classifications

Classification
Level

Great White Shark

Whale Shark

Blue Whale

Domain

Eukarya

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Chondrichthyes

Mammalia

Order

Lamniformes

Orectolobiformes

Cetartiodactyla

Family

Lamnidae

Rhincodontidae

Balaenopteridae

Genus

Carcharodon

Rhincodon

Balaenoptera

Species

carcharias

typus

musculus

2. How has DNA sequencing affected the science of classifying organisms?
a. Does DNA sequencing change the way organisms are classified?
b. Do scientists look at the same characteristics as they did in the past?
c.

Have there been changes in which organisms appear to be more closely related or not as
closely related since this technology became available?

d. Is classifying organisms easier, harder or about the same as it was before DNA sequencing
was available?

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

Experiment 1: Dichotomous Key Practice
Data Tables and Post-Lab Assessment
Table 3: Dichotomous Key Results
Organism – Common Name

Binomial Name

i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii

ix
x
xi
xii
xiii

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?

Experiment 2: Classification of Organisms
Data Tables and Post-Lab Assessment
Table 4: Key Characteristics of Some Organisms – Fill in ALL blank spaces.
Organism

Domain

Kingdom

Defined
Nucleus

Motile

E. Coli

Cell Wall

Photosynthesis

Yes

Paramecium

Yes

Mushroom

Yes

Rose

Yes

Squirrel

Yes

Unicellular

Yes

Yes
No
Domain:
Domain:
Eubacteria
Archae

Start
Does the organism have a defined nucleus?

Yes

Is the organism only found in very extreme environments, such as a thermal vent at th

Is the organism motile?

Yes

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Fungi

Does the organism perform
photosynthesis?

Yes
Does the organism contain specialized cells?

Yes

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Protista

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

2. List at least 2 additional questions you would 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? List 2 or more.