Chapter 1. Chapter 19: Eukaryotic Diversity

1.1 Introduction

Welcome to the Interactive Study Guide for Chapter 19: Eukaryotic Diversity! This Study Guide will help you master your understanding of the chapter's Driving Questions, using interactive Infographics and activities, as well as targeted assessment questions. Click "Next" to get started, or select a Driving Question from the drop-down menu to the right.

DRIVING QUESTIONS

• What are eukaryotic organisms and what factors influence their diversity?
• How are plants defined and what influences their diversity?
• How are animals defined and what influences their diversity?
• How are fungi defined and what influences their diversity?
• What are protists and what influences their diversity?

1.2 Driving Question 1:

Why should you care?

You are a eukaryote. Understanding how eukaryotes work will help you understand how you work. Understanding how the kingdoms within the domain Eukarya are related will help you understand how humans and all life on Earth fit into the history of evolution.

What should you know?

To fully answer this Driving Question, you should be able to:

1. Recognize the major kingdoms of Eukarya.
2. Develop a hypothesis as to what influences eukaryotic diversity.

Infographic Focus

The infographics most pertinent to the Driving Question are 19.1 and 19.2.

1.3 Driving Question 2:

Why should you care?

Plants are the basis of practically every eukaryotic food chain on land and many in the ocean. All other eukaryotes rely on plants’ ability to make food from water and atmospheric carbon dioxide. All of our food comes either from plants or from animals that eat plants. Even if you live on bacon cheeseburgers, all of the carbon compounds that you are composed of were once part of plants. That is a big reason to care about plants, but there are many more. Medicines, building materials, and ecosystem stability are just a few more that affect our daily lives. Learning the major groups of plants will give you a fresh perspective and greater appreciation of the organisms that we literally couldn’t live without.

What should you know?

To fully answer this Driving Question, you should be able to:

1. Explain the features that define a plant.
2. Explain the features that distinguish bryophytes from other plants.
3. Explain the features that distinguish ferns from other plants.
4. Explain the features that distinguish gymnosperms from other plants.
5. Explain the features that distinguish angiosperms from other plants.
6. Develop a hypothesis as to what influences plant diversity.

Infographic Focus

The Infographic most pertinent to the Driving Question is 19.3.

1.4 Driving Question 3:

Why should you care?

You are one of more than a million known species of animals inhabiting Earth. You belong to a group of animals, the vertebrates, which is actually rather small relative to some of the other groups, such as the arthropods or nematodes. Finding out about the relationships between the different groups of animals will teach you about where you fit in the kingdom.

What should you know?

To fully answer this Driving Question, you should be able to:

1. Explain the features that define an animal.
2. Explain how symmetry of body parts is used to classify major groups of animals.
3. Explain how different physical support systems are used to classify the major groups of animals.
4. Explain how the presence or absence of a backbone is used to classify animals.
5. Describe the distinguishing features of several major groups of animals.
6. Develop a hypothesis as to what influences animal diversity.

Infographic Focus

The Infographic most pertinent to the Driving Question is 19.4.

1.5 Driving Question 4:

Why should you care?

Many fungi are intimately connected with humans' daily lives. Fungi are essential for making most breads and all alcoholic beverages. Some are quite tasty to eat, and others cause diseases. Fungi and bacteria together are the primary decomposers in most ecosystems. Recognizing fungi in all their forms will give you a great appreciation for how common they are and help you understand why treatments for fungal diseases are different from those for bacterial diseases.

What should you know?

To fully answer this Driving Question, you should be able to:

1. explain the features that define fungi.
2. explain how fungi gain energy.
3. develop a hypothesis as to what influences fungal diversity.

Infographic Focus

The Infographic most pertinent to the Driving Question is 19.5.

1.6 Driving Question 5:

Why should you care?

Although most are unicellular eukaryotes, many protists are no more related to each other than plants are to animals. Why were such different organisms initially grouped into the same kingdom? Largely because they did not seem to fit anywhere else and it seemed improbable that there would be several kingdoms of microscopic organisms. Although most protists are harmless organisms that go unnoticed by most people, a few can cause diseases—for example, the algae that cause red tide, amoebas that cause the diarrheal disease dysentery, and the parasitic protozoan that causes malaria.

What should you know?

To fully answer this Driving Question, you should be able to:

1. Define a common trait among protists.
2. Explain what characteristics protists share with animals, plants, and fungi.
3. Develop a hypothesis for what influences protist diversity.

Infographic Focus

The Infographic most pertinent to the Driving Question is 19.6.