Classification of Organisms/Biota (Taxonomy):  somewhat arbitrary "shoeboxing" of biota
        no single scheme for classifying all organisms; Miller presents a classic approach

    Archaea:  means "ancient", now thought to be earliest life form
        no distinct nucleus enclosed by a membrane, unorganized mush
        unique/distinct DNA and RNA from Pros and Eus
        also has some genes common to BOTH Pros and Eus
            therefore thought to be ancestral to both
        often found in extreme environments (therefore:  "extremophiles")
            supersalty ponds, hot springs and geysers, acid rich waters, etc.
        NEWS***:  Archaea recently discovered throughout world ocean

    Prokaryotes/Monera:
        no distinct nucleus enclosed by a membrane, unorganized mush
        single celled to colonial with some cell specialization
        found everywhere, dominate Earth, do the heavy lifting/grunt work
            plain Bacteria: usually chemosynthetic or consumer
            Cyanobacteria aka "blue green algae" (but not an algae): photosynthetic
                slime on your house; makes polar bear fur green

        link to cyanobacteria:  http://fig.cox.miami.edu/Faculty/Dana/cyano.html

    Eukaryotes: all other biota have cell nucleus containing DNA plus other objects
        1.  Protists:  single celled eukaryotes, major evolutionary step, our ancestors!
            yellow & golden algae, slime molds, amoebas, flagellates, ciliates, radiolaria
        2.  Fungi:  multicellular recyclers of organic matter.  very critical in ecology
            mushrooms, yeasts, molds, egg fungi, etc.  many are microscopic
        3.  Plants:  multicell euks with no nervous system, use sun, very diverse group
          non-vascular plants (no veinous system) brown, green and red algae.
          vascular:  ferns, mosses, conifers, flowers (mono- and di-cotyledons)
        4.  Animals:  multicell euks with nervous system, don't use sun, also very diverse
          invertebrates  (spineless): sponges, worms, insects, clams, slugs, crabs, corals
          vertebrates  (spine protecting chord): birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals

Functional Classification of Organisms:  arranged based on activity  or function
    Producers = Autotrophs:  self feeding organisms, make their own food from chemicals
            make food through chemosynthesis (no sun needed) or photosynthesis (using sun)
       chemosynthetic bacteria found in hot springs, soil, rock, etc.
        photosynthetic plants found in oceans and terrestrial environments
            green plants on land using light-absorbing chlorophyll to make sugars
            phytoplankton ("plant floater") in near surface water (protists & bacteria)
    Consumers = Heterotrophs: feed on either producers (vegans) or consumers (carnos)
       Primary and Secondary consumers, tertiary (eat carnos), omnivores (eat anything)
       Detritivores (detritus feeders to decomposers) eat dead biota or waste; fungi, beetles..
Anaerobes (no oxygen needed) vs. Aerobes (use oxygen to create or consume food)

Interspecies Relationships:  how do different plants, animals, etc. interact esp. wrt food
    Predator-Prey:  one organism kills and eats another.  you and the innocent lettuce....
    Parasitism: obtains nourishment from prey w/o instant death (mosquito, mistletoe...)
    Mutualism:  two coexisting for both's benefit.  tickbird and rhino; lichen; bee & flower
    Commensalism:  two coexisting for one's benefit.  butter clams and crabs
        results in a complex food web/chain, with different trophic (feeding) levels

Biomass: total mass of organisms.  can be very difficult to actually measure in practice
    in a food chain, most of the biomass usually at the base (= producers), unless eaten fast
    least amount of biomass at the top (= tertiary consumers); yields biomass pyramid

Biodiversity:   there are a several different types of biodiversity, subtle differences
    species diversity:  number of different species in a community (species richness)
        variability = stability in interactions among organisms; the "one prey" rule
    genetic diversity:  genetic variability in each specie (not all gannets look alike)
        important for adaptation to short term changes, species survival and evolution

click here for "tree of life" that emphasizes small critters

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