Biodiversity

Question 1

Adaptation

Answer 1

A feature of an organism that enhances its ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Question 2

Biodiversity

Answer 2

The range of living organisms and their environments

Question 3

Ecosystem

Answer 3

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environments.

Question 4

Biotic

Answer 4

The living components in the environment.

Question 5

Abiotic

Answer 5

The non-living physical factors that affect an organism’s ability to survive.

Question 6

Hierarchical

Answer 6

Relating to the graded organisation of grouping from general to very specific subgroups.

Question 7

Classification

Answer 7

Grouping of organisms based on similarities in morphology, anatomy and biochemistry.

Question 8

Asexual Reproduction

Answer 8

The production of genetically identical offspring from a single parent.

Question 9

Sexual Reproduction

Answer 9

The production of offspring that has genetic material from two parents.

Question 10

Taxonomy

Answer 10

The science of naming and classifying living organisms.

Question 11

Taxon

Answer 11

(Plural taxa) any group in a biological classification into which related organisms are classified, for example phylum, class etc.

Question 12

Mutation

Answer 12

Small permanent change in the DNA of an organism.

Question 13

Species

Answer 13

Taxonomic group, allocated two (genus and specific) names; only members of the same species can produce fertile offspring when mating under natural conditions.

Question 14

Genus

Answer 14

Classification category between family and species; first part of the scientific name of an organism.

Question 15

Family

Answer 15

Subdivision of an order in the classification of living things.

Question 16

Order

Answer 16

Subdivision of a class in the classification of living things.

Question 17

Class

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Phylum

Answer 18

Major classification group of the animal kingdom.

Question 19

Division

Answer 19

Major classification group of the plants, fungi and plant-like features.

Question 20

Domain

Answer 20

Broadest taxonomic group

Question 21

Binomial Nomenclature

Answer 21

Method of naming species or organisms with two parts: the generic and specific names eg. Eucalyptus crebra

Question 22

Specific Name

Answer 22

The descriptive name of a species.

Question 23

Extremophiles

Answer 23

Organisms that live in extreme environments.

Question 24

Reproductive Isolation

Answer 24

Inability of different populations or species to successfully interbreed due to behavioural, structural or physiological features of the organism.

Question 25

Hybrid

Answer 25

Offspring resulting from a cross between parents that are genetically unalike, for example, two closely related species or varieties within a species.

Question 26

Apomixis

Answer 26

Asexual reproduction.

Question 27

Parthenogenesis

Answer 27

Reproduction from an ovum without fertilisation in animals.

Question 28

Variety

Answer 28

A group that distinctly differs from other varieties, for example a poodle and a Great Dane.

Question 29

Geographic Isolation

Answer 29

A physical barrier that prevents interbreeding between members of different populations of a species.

Question 30

Subspecies

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

Race

Answer 31

One group of a population that is genetically different from other groups as a result of having a different range.

Question 32

Diagnostic Feature

Answer 32

Any feature used to separate groups in the classification of organisms.

Question 33

Homologous Structures

Answer 33

Similar structures with slightly different functions, indicating a shared ancestry.

Question 34

Divergent Evolution

Answer 34

Evolution that leads to descendants becoming different in form from their common ancestor.

Question 35

Analogous Structure

Answer 35

Structure with a similar function but no structural relationship.

Question 36

Convergent Evolution

Answer 36

The independent development of similarities between species as a result of their having similar ecological roles and selection pressures.

Question 37

Vestigial Structure

Answer 37

A structure with no apparent function, but which may have had a function in an ancestral species.

Question 38

Embryology

Answer 38

Growth and development of zygote until birth.

Question 39

Geographic Distribution

Answer 39

The natural range of the various forms of animals and plants in the different regions and localities of the Earth.

Question 40

Phylogeny

Answer 40

The evolutionary history of a kind of organism.

Question 41

Cladistics

Answer 41

A method of grouping organisms that uses evolutionary lines of descent rather than structural similarities.

Question 42

Shared Characteristics

Answer 42

A feature that all members of a group have in common.

Question 43

Derived Characteristics

Answer 43

A feature that sets members of that cade apart from other individuals.

Question 44

Cladogram

Answer 44

A branching diagram showing the evolutionary relationships between a number of species.

Question 45

Plesiomorphy

Answer 45

An ancestral characteristic or trait that is shared by two or more taxa.

Question 46

Apomorphy

Answer 46

A specialised trait or characteristic unique to a group or species.

Question 47

Clade

Answer 47

A group of organisms that is believed to comprise a common ancestor and all of its evolutionary descendants.

Question 48

Karyotype

Answer 48

The number and appearance of chromosomes in the cell nuclei of an organism or species.

Question 49

Molecular Analysis

Answer 49

A branch of biochemistry in which the molecular basis of biological activity of molecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins is studied.

Question 50

Molecular Clock

Answer 50

A technique that uses the mutation rate to deduce when two or more life forms diverge.

Question 51

Immunological Difference

Answer 51

The degree of difference between two proteins.

Question 52

DNA-Hybridisation

Answer 52

A technique that measures the degree of genetic similarity between the DNA sequences of different individuals.

Question 53

Mitochondrial DNA

Answer 53

A double-stranded DNA only found in the mitochondria; in most eukaryotes in a circular and is maternally inherited.

Question 54

Dichotomous Key

Answer 54

Identification key with only two alternatives at each stage.