Biodiversity Flashcards
Adaptation
A feature of an organism that enhances its ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
Biodiversity
The range of living organisms and their environments
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environments.
Biotic
The living components in the environment.
Abiotic
The non-living physical factors that affect an organism’s ability to survive.
Hierarchical
Relating to the graded organisation of grouping from general to very specific subgroups.
Classification
Grouping of organisms based on similarities in morphology, anatomy and biochemistry.
Asexual Reproduction
The production of genetically identical offspring from a single parent.
Sexual Reproduction
The production of offspring that has genetic material from two parents.
Taxonomy
The science of naming and classifying living organisms.
Taxon
(Plural taxa) any group in a biological classification into which related organisms are classified, for example phylum, class etc.
Mutation
Small permanent change in the DNA of an organism.
Species
Taxonomic group, allocated two (genus and specific) names; only members of the same species can produce fertile offspring when mating under natural conditions.
Genus
Classification category between family and species; first part of the scientific name of an organism.
Family
Subdivision of an order in the classification of living things.
Order
Subdivision of a class in the classification of living things.
Class
One of the groups used n the classification of organisms consisting of a number of orders, for example animals in class mammalia all share specific characteristics.
Phylum
Major classification group of the animal kingdom.
Division
Major classification group of the plants, fungi and plant-like features.
Domain
Broadest taxonomic group
Binomial Nomenclature
Method of naming species or organisms with two parts: the generic and specific names eg. Eucalyptus crebra
Specific Name
The descriptive name of a species.
Extremophiles
Organisms that live in extreme environments.
Reproductive Isolation
Inability of different populations or species to successfully interbreed due to behavioural, structural or physiological features of the organism.
Hybrid
Offspring resulting from a cross between parents that are genetically unalike, for example, two closely related species or varieties within a species.
Apomixis
Asexual reproduction.
Parthenogenesis
Reproduction from an ovum without fertilisation in animals.
Variety
A group that distinctly differs from other varieties, for example a poodle and a Great Dane.
Geographic Isolation
A physical barrier that prevents interbreeding between members of different populations of a species.
Subspecies
A rank immediately below a species; a population that is genetically distinguishable from other populations of the same species in a particular geographic region, capable of interbreeding successfully where ranges overlap.
Race
One group of a population that is genetically different from other groups as a result of having a different range.
Diagnostic Feature
Any feature used to separate groups in the classification of organisms.
Homologous Structures
Similar structures with slightly different functions, indicating a shared ancestry.
Divergent Evolution
Evolution that leads to descendants becoming different in form from their common ancestor.
Analogous Structure
Structure with a similar function but no structural relationship.
Convergent Evolution
The independent development of similarities between species as a result of their having similar ecological roles and selection pressures.
Vestigial Structure
A structure with no apparent function, but which may have had a function in an ancestral species.
Embryology
Growth and development of zygote until birth.
Geographic Distribution
The natural range of the various forms of animals and plants in the different regions and localities of the Earth.
Phylogeny
The evolutionary history of a kind of organism.
Cladistics
A method of grouping organisms that uses evolutionary lines of descent rather than structural similarities.
Shared Characteristics
A feature that all members of a group have in common.
Derived Characteristics
A feature that sets members of that cade apart from other individuals.
Cladogram
A branching diagram showing the evolutionary relationships between a number of species.
Plesiomorphy
An ancestral characteristic or trait that is shared by two or more taxa.
Apomorphy
A specialised trait or characteristic unique to a group or species.
Clade
A group of organisms that is believed to comprise a common ancestor and all of its evolutionary descendants.
Karyotype
The number and appearance of chromosomes in the cell nuclei of an organism or species.
Molecular Analysis
A branch of biochemistry in which the molecular basis of biological activity of molecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins is studied.
Molecular Clock
A technique that uses the mutation rate to deduce when two or more life forms diverge.
Immunological Difference
The degree of difference between two proteins.
DNA-Hybridisation
A technique that measures the degree of genetic similarity between the DNA sequences of different individuals.
Mitochondrial DNA
A double-stranded DNA only found in the mitochondria; in most eukaryotes in a circular and is maternally inherited.
Dichotomous Key
Identification key with only two alternatives at each stage.
