3.4.5 Species and Taxonomy Flashcards
What is taxonomy?
The practise of grouping organisms
What is the binomial system?
Two names per organism
Only works for physical characteristics
What are the subgroups of the binomial system?
Kingdoms - five levels Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
How are animals named?
Genus species
E.g. Homo* sapien, H.* sapien*, (Homo sapien)
* = italics, () = underlined
What are the three types of traits in animals?
Anatomical: where the different components are
Physiological: how an organism works
Behavioural: how the organism reacts to its environment and other organisms
What is a species?
Organisms that can interbreed together and produce fertile offspring
What is a phylogenetic group?
A group linked by evolution/genetic relationships/common ancestry
How can information on amino acid sequences help to construct a phylogenetic tree?
Those with similar groups are closely related
The larger the differences between sequences, the longer ago the groups diverged
What are the stages of courtship?
Recognition: recognising a member of the same species, scent can aid this
Capability: is the organism capable of mating, sometimes communicated
Forming a bond: being in close proximity, fighting over territory or offspring, protective bond
Synchronisation: takes place when there is a maximum probability of the sperm and egg meeting, oestrus is the time in which they are fertile and can conceive
Breeding
How are phylogenetic relationships of different species represented?
Shows genetic links, not observable traits
All taxons have evolved from a common ancestor
Branch node represents a speciation event (can be an event which doen not remove the common ancestor)
Sister taxa are taxa which come from the most recent branch node, this means they are more genetically similar
X axis represents time
Variation can occur within a taxon
