7: What is a species

Question 1

Carl Linnaeus

Answer 1

Founding father of modern Taxonomy
Binomial Nomenclature
18th Century
Swedish

Question 2

Taxonomy

Answer 2

science of naming and organizing organisms into related groups

Question 3

Binomial name

Answer 3

two parts: the genus, and the specific epithet

genus is always capitalized, the specific epithet is not. Both are always italicized

Question 4

Rules governing how a species gets a binomial name

Answer 4

Rule of priority
must publish peer reviewed article
must designate a holotype specimen

Question 5

rule of priority

Answer 5

states that once a species has been given a binomial name, it cannot be changed

Question 6

Holotype specimen

Answer 6

a holotype specimen is a physical example of a new species
it must be kept in a research institution so that others can study and verify it

does not need to be a complete skeleton, just needs to show unique characteristics that make it a distinct species

Question 7

interspecific variation

Answer 7

individuals differ in morphology because they belong to different species

Question 8

Intraspecific variation

Answer 8

individuals that belong to the same species but have different morphologies

Question 9

sources of infraspecific variation

Answer 9

sexual dimorphism
ontogenetic variation
individual variation

Question 10

Sexual dimorphism

Answer 10

differences in males and females of same species

Question 11

Ontogenetic variation

Answer 11

differences in young and old

Question 12

taphonomic variation

Answer 12

geological origin

plastic deformation can change the shape of a bone

Question 13

Biological species concept

Answer 13

most common species concept
a species is a group of organisms that can successfully interbreed
applies to most modern animals and many plants, but cannot be applied to organisms that reproduce asexually
can’t be applied to extinct organisms because you can’t tell

Question 14

population

Answer 14

any grouping of organisms that live in the same geographic area and can interbreed
one or more populations make up a species

Question 15

morphological species concept

Answer 15

paleotologists rey on this
a species as a group of organisms that share a certain degree of physical similarity.
the morphological species concept is often concept is often applied as it relates to the biological species concept: fossil specimens are assumed to be of the same species if their physical similarities are consistent with the similarities that would be expected (based on general pattern of physical similarity observed in modern species) between members of a group that can successfully interbreed.

Question 16

Lumpers

Answer 16

paleontologist who require more differences before they consider 2 species to be distinct

Question 17

Splitters

Answer 17

paleontologists who require fewer differences before they consider 2 species to be distinct