BIODIVERSITY Flashcards
Definition of classification?
Name given to the process of sorting organisms into groups with similar features
The order of the classification system?
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
The name of the classification system groups?
Taxonomic groups
Who first proposed the classification system?
Carl Linnaeus
How many kingdoms and domains are there?
3 domains and 5 kingdoms
Why do scientists classify organisms?
To identify species, to predict characteristics and to find evolutionary links between common ancestors
The 3 domains?
Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya
Definition of a species?
A group of organisms that are able to reproduce fertile offspring
How does a binominal name work?
First word indicates genus which is always capitalized, second word is species which is always in italics or underlined, most names derive from Latin
What are the five kingdoms?
Prokaryotae (bacteria), Protoctista (unicelluar eukaryotes), Fungi, Plantae and Animalia
What was the name for the principle that believed forces of the Earth such as sedimentation and erosion shaped the world?
Uniformitarianism
Difference between a prokaryotae and protoctista?
Prokaryotae has no nucleus or membrane bound organelles or chloroplasts, protoctista has all off them
How many kingdoms are there for Carl Woese system?
6 kingdoms — it adds Archaebacteria
What is archaebacteria?
‘Ancient bacteria’ that can live in extreme conditions
What is phylogeny?
The evolutionary relationships between organisms, the study of it is called phylogenetics
What is Eubacteria?
The changed kingdom name for prokaryotae, known as ‘trye bacteria’, most types of bacteria, chemically different from Archaebacteria
What are phylogenetic trees?
Branched diagrams which show that different species have evolved from a common ancestor, much of the evidence is gained from fossils
Advantages of phylogenetic classification?
Produces a continuous tree, no hierarchal nature implying different groups are equivalent
Charles Darwin’s theory?
Theory of Evolution, organisms evolve over many years due to natural selection
What animal did Darwin famously work on?
Finches, noticed they had different beaks and claws
Evidence for evolution?
Paleontology, comparing anatomy and biochemistry
What does the presence of a homologous structure provide evidence for?
Divergent evolution
What is divergent evolution?
Describes how, from a common ancestor, different species have evolved with adaptive features. Occurs in new habitats
What is neutral evolution?
Molecule variability that does not affect its function
2 factors that cause variation?
Genetic and environmental
Difference between interspecific and intraspecific variation?
Interspecific - variation between different species (eg: mouse had 4 legs, bird has 2)
Intraspecific - variation with a species (eg: height, hair color, intelligence)
Genetic causes of variation?
Genes having different alleles, mutation from change in DNA sequence, meiosis independent assortment, crossing over, sexual reproduction
Higher chance of variation in sexual or asexual reproduction?
SEXUAL !!!
Examples of environmental variation?
Scars on the body, tattoos, dyed hair. These can’t be inherited
Examples of both environmental and genetic variation?
Height, skin color or weight
Difference between discontinuous and continuous variation?
Discontinuous - A characteristic that can only result in certain values (eg: gender) Typically represented using a bar or pie chart
Continuous - A characteristic that can take any value within a range (eg: height/mass) Influenced by environment, collected in frequency tables/histograms
3 types of adaptations?
Behavioral, Anatomical and physiological
Examples of anatomical adaptations?
Body covering - spikes, fur, scales
Camoflague (eg: polar bears)
Teeth based off diet
Mimicry - copying animal’s appearance
Ways Marram grass has adapted?
Adapted to reduce rate of transpiration, xerophyte, sunken stomata, thick waxy cuticle and hairs on inside of leaves
Examples of behavioral adaptations?
Survival - playing dead like possums
Courtship - spiders and scorpions dance
Seasonal behavior - migration/hibernation
What two categories can behavioral adaptations be split into?
Instinctive behavior from genes, learned behavior from observing other animals
Examples of physiological adaptations?
Poison production, antibiotic production, water holding, reflexes, temperature regulation, blinking
What is convergent evolution?
When unrelated species begin to share similar traits
What are selective pressures?
Factors that affect the organisms chance of survival or reproductive success
3 different types of biodiversity?
Habitat, genetic and species
Stages of natural selection?
Organisms start to show variation in their genes, organisms who are best adapted to selection pressure reproduce, advantageous characteristic allele passed onto offspring, repeated for every generation to become evolution
Modern examples of evolution?
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (MRSA) passes allele for resistance and peppered moths from the industrial revolution
Reasons why biodiversity is important?
Aesthetically, Economical, Ecological
Difference between species evenness and species richness?
Evenness - Comparison of the numbers of individuals in each species
Richness - Number of different species living in a particular area
Steps of a random sample?
Mark out grid on the grass using tape measures at right angles, use random number generator to determine x and y co-ordinate, ignore repeats
Describe stratified sampling?
Populations divided into sub-groups based off characteristic, a random sample is taken from each group proportional to its size
