a3.1 (diversity of organisms) Flashcards
define organism
An organism is any biological system that functions as an individual life form. All organisms are composed of cells.
define population
A population is a group of organisms of the same species in the same area (C4.1.1). Even though they are the same species, the individual organisms of the population vary from each other.
define community
Communities are the populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time (C4.1.10) . There is great variation between different species.
define variation
Variation is a defining feature of life. Variation refers to differences between members of a group. Variation can be discrete or continuous.
define discrete variation
traits that can be put into distinct qualitative categories
what is discrete variation caused by?
usually influenced by only one or a few genes. They can also be influenced by environment, although usually not significantly (it is a one or the other deal)
examples of discrete variation (name a few)
lefty/righty, petal colour in a flower, blood type
define continuous variation
traits that vary along a quantitative continuum. Most types of biological variation are continuous.
what is continuous variation caused by?
result from complex interaction between many different genes (“polygenic”), often with the environment playing a significant part in the expression of the phenotype (D3.2.14).
examples of continuous variation (name a few)
height, body mass, milk yield of cow, root length of plant, skin colour
examples of variation at different levels of biological variation x4
molecular, such as between genomes (A3.1.19)
cellular, such as between specialized cells in multicellular organisms (A2.2.13)
organisms, such as in the speed of nerve impulses (C2.2.4)
ecosystems, such as between biomes (B4.1.7).
define intraspecies variation & provide an example
inheritable variation within a species (giraffe spots, eye colour, hair colour)
4 different ways for intraspecies variation to be observed
Mutation: the changes in the sequences of genes in DNA (D1.3.7)
Gene flow: the movement of genes between different populations of organisms (D4.1.9*)
Meiosis: formation of egg and sperm which leads to the creation of new combinations of alleles (D2.1.11)
Sexual reproduction: random fertilization between egg and sperm (D3.1.2)
what is the main driver of evolution
natural selection
what does the amount of variation between individual organisms depend on?
how closely related they are
order of classification of organisms (least to most specific) x8
domains, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species (and breeds, not very significant)
define species
groups of living things recognizably distinct from all others by their shared characteristics
how to denote a species
the first term indicates the genus
the second term indicates the specific species
4 rules for binomial nomenclature (naming)
the genus name begins with a capital letter
the species name begins with a lowercase letter
in print, the name is in italics (underline if handwritten)
after one use in a text, Genus name can be abbreviated to the first letter (i.e. H. sapiens)
two benefits of binomial nomenclature
Reflects evolutionary relationships between organisms AND Enables scientists to talk to each other in the same language
define species according to the biological species concept
a group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.
why can’t hybrid species reproduce?
because they have an odd # of chromosomes
examples of hybrid species (name a few)
mules, liger, coywolf, narluga, sheep-goat
how do hybrid species arise?
Occurs when two different species can reproduce to create offspring.
how do starfish asexually reproduce?
through regeneration (Inbinary fission, the parent organism’s cell divides exactly into two genetically identical daughter cells. During the process, the central discs present in the mature starfish break into two pieces.)
when does genetic mosaicism occur?
the presence of two or more cell lineages with different genotypes arising from a single zygote in a single individual (when a multicellular organism contains more than one genetic line as a result of mutation)
how does speciation occur?
If two populations of the same species do not interbreed, physical and/or behavioural differences may accumulate and they can diverge to the point of becoming separate species
what is a result of the slow and gradual divergence during speciation?
a grey zone where the periods of time between there clearly being 1 species and there clearly being two resulting species, difficult to distinguish between the two
diploid cell main characteristic
2 copies of every chromosome organized in homologous pairs (46 chromosomes) (most cells)
haploid cells are seen in humans as _____
gametes/sex cells (23 chromosomes)