UMUC Biology 102/103 – Lab 6 Taxonomy

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UMUC 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).
• 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.

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

Experiment 1: Dichotomous Key Practice
Data Tables and Post-Lab Assessment
Table 3: Dichotomous Key Results
Organism Binomial Name
i 
ii 
iii 
iv 
v 
vi 
vii 
viii 
ix 
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 2: Key Characteristics of Some Organisms
Organism Kingdom Defined Nucleus Mobile Cell Wall Photosynthesis Unicellular
E. Coli    Yes  Yes
Protozoa  Yes Yes No  Yes
Mushroom  Yes  Yes  
Sunflower  Yes Yes Yes Yes 
Bear  Yes Yes   

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?