(10)Biodiversity Flashcards
what is the one main thing that all species have in common
they are capable of breeding to produce living, fertile offspring (any of its genes can be combined with any other)
how does courtship behaviour enable individuals to maximise the chance of reproducing
1) they are able to recognise members of their own species (in order to produce fertile offspring)
2) identify a mate that is capable of breeding
3) form a pair bond
4) synchronise mating (when there is max possibility of sperm and egg meeting)
5) become able to breed (bringing mate into a psychological state that allows breeding to occur)
what is the difference between classification and taxonomy
the grouping of organisms is classification but the theory and practice of biological classification is taxonomy
what is artificial classification
divides organisms according to size, colour, number of legs, leaf shape etc (analogous characteristics)
what are analogous characteristics
have the same function but different evolutionary origins eg wings on butterflies and birds are used for the same function but originated in different ways
what is phylogenetic classification
1) based upon the evolutionary relationships between organisms and ancestors
2) classifies species into groups using shared features derived from ancestors
3) arranges the groups into a hierarchy in which groups are contained within larger groups with no overlap
what are homologous characteristics
have similar evolutionary origins regardless of their functions in the adult of a species
what is a domain and what are the 3 domains
a domain is the highest taxonomic rank and the 3 are bacteria, archaea and eukarya
what is the mnemonic to remember the order of taxonomic ranks
Delicious (domain) King (kingdom Prawn (phylum) Curry (class) Or (order) Fat (family) Greasy (Genus) Sausages (species)
what are archaea
a group of single celled prokaryotes that are similar to bacteria
how are archaea different to bacteria
1) their genes and protein synthesis are more similar to eukaryotes
2) their membranes contain fatty acid chains attached to glycerol by ether linkages
3) no murein in cell walls
4) more complex form of RNA polymerase
what are 4 features of eukarya
1) their cells possess membrane bound organelles eg mitochondria and chloroplasts
2) they have membranes containing fatty acid chains attached to glycerol by ester linkages
3) no murein in the cells that do have cell walls
4) bigger ribosomes than bacteria and archaea
what are the 4 kingdoms of the eukarya domain
protoctista, fungi, plantae and animalia
what is phylogeny
the evolutionary relationship between organisms
what are possible difficulties with defining species
1) species are not fixed forever but change and evolve over time (can develop into new species)
2) artificial selection has led to variety of different breeds
3) some species don’t reproduce sexually
4) members of species may become isolated
