2.1 - Biodiversity Flashcards
Classification def?
putting items into groups
Phylogenetic def?
Reflecting evolutionary relatedness
Phylogenetic method?
grouping closely related organisms together
Organisms in the same group?
have a more recent common ancestor with each other than with organisms that are not in their group
If closely related?
may show physical similarities
Chimpanzee, gorilla, human and banana?
the chimpanzee, the human + gorilla - have a more recent common ancestor than any of them does with the banana.
Puts the chimpanzee, human and gorilla into group that does not include the banana
Chimpanzee + human have more recent common ancestor than either has with gorilla
puts human + chimpanzee into group that excludes gorilla
How can these be shown?
phylogenetic tree
Phylogenetic tree?
diagram that shows descent with living organisms at the tips of the branches and ancestral species in the branches and trunk with branch points that represents common ancestors
lengths of branches - indicate the time between branch points
In a phylogenetic tree?
further up the diagram you go, the further forward in time
species at top exist now
those in trunk and branches are no longer alive
branch points - represent common ancestors of organisms in the branches
diagram reminds that current species in 3.8 billion year history of life
Hierarchy def?
system of ranking in which small groups = nested components of larger groups
Taxon?
any group within a system of classification
Hierarchy of biological classification?
Domain>Kingdom>Phylum>class>order>family>genus>species
Example of how the hierarchical classification system is applied?
Domain - Eukaryota
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Primates
Family - Hominidae
Genus - Homo
Species - Sapiens
Moving down the hierarchy?
from domain to species, organisms in a taxon are more closely related
Moving up the hierarchy?
from species to domain, members of a taxon are less closely related
Taxa are discrete?
at any level of classification , an organism belongs in one taxon and in no other.
Why do we need a classification system?
A phylogenetic classification system allows us to infer evolutionary relationships. If 2 organisms are so similar that we put them in the same taxon, we infer they are closely related
If new animal is discovered with a beak and feathers, we predict some of its other characteristics based on general understanding of birds
when we say bird, it is easier than saying vertebrate egg laying biped with a beak and feathers
when describing the health of an ecosystem or the rate of extinction in the geological record, conservationists often find it more useful to count families than species
What is our system for classification depends on?
our current knowledge
any system we use = tentative and may be altered as our knowledge advances
Domain?
largest taxon and all living things belong in one of 3 domains
domains - originally defined on the bases of rRNA base sequences
More modern methods of analysis also consider similarities in DNA base sequence
Eubacteria?
these are the familiar bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella
They are prokaryotes
Archea?
these are bacteria and often have unusual metabolism
e.g some generate methane
Many are extremophiles
Include a lack of molecular oxygen, very high pressure, very high temp, or very high or low pH
Eukaryota?
plantae, animalia,fungi and protoctista
What is the 5 kingdom system?
5 kingdom system classifies organisms on the basis of their physical appearance
5 kingdoms?
Eubacteria and Archaea - 1 kingdom
Prokaryotae and the other 4 organisms contain eukaryotes organisms
Domain def?
the highest taxon in the biological classification, one of the three major groups into which living organisms are classified
Kingdom def?
all living organisms are classified into 5 kingdoms depending on their physical features
Phylum def?
subdivision of a kingdom, based on a general body plain
Class?
sub - group of a phylum
e.g Mammalia form a class within the phylum Chordata
insects = class within the phylum Arthropoda
Phylum?
sub group of a kingdom
members of each phylum have a distinct body plan
e.g members of the phylum Annelida = soft bodied and segmented ; members of the Arthropods have a chitinous exoskeleton and jointed limbs.
Chordata - contains vertebrates
Order?
sub group of a class - Lepidoptera
Order containing butterflies and moths is in the class insects
Family?
group within an order
Flower families = most familiar such as rose family rosaceae
Genus?
a group of similar organisms such as the genus Panthera, containing lions and tigers
Species?
a group of organisms sharing a large number of physical features and able to interbreed to make fertile offspring
Genus def?
a taxon containing organisms with many similarities but enough differences that they are not able to interbreed to produce the offspring
Species def?
a group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
Prokaryota?
microscopic
kingdom - contains all the bacteria
Archaea and cyanobacteria
Protoctista ?
some protoctista have only 1 cell and these are the main component of plankton
others are colonial
some have many similar cells
these = seaweeds, or algae, such as the sea lettuce
Plantae?
mosses, horsetails and ferns reproduce with spores
conifers and flowering plants reproduce with seeds