Biodiversity: taxonomy Flashcards
what is classification?
organisation of living organisms into groups
what is a species?
a group of similar organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
what system is used to name species?
binomial system
how does the binomial system work?
1st name = generic name = genus
2nd name = specific name = species
name three other rules of the binomial system
- has to be written in italics
- first letter of generic name is in capitals
- when specific name is unknown,it is written as ‘sp’
what are the five aims of courtship behaviour?
- recognise members of own species
- identify mate is capable of breeding - sexual maturity/ fertile and receptive
- form a pair bond that leads to successful matinf
- synchronise mating so maximum probability of fertilisation
- become able to breed so member of opposite sex is in physiological state to allow breeding to occur
what is the term for the theory and practice of biological classification?
taxonomy
what are the two main forms of classification?
- artificial
- natural
what is artificial classification?
- divide organisms by anatomy
(analogous characteristics - same function but different origins) - does not reflect evolutionary relationship
what is another term for natural classification?
-phylogenetic classification
- what is phylogenetic classification?
- based on evolutionary relationships
(partly based on homologous characteristics) - classify species using shared features from ancestors
- arranges the group into hierarchy
what is phylogeny?
evolutionary relationship between organisms
what is the highest taxonomical rank?
domain
what are the three domains?
- bacteria
- archaea
- eukarya
what is bacteria and its features?
group of single celled prokaryotes
- unicellular
- 70S ribosomes
- made of murein
- no membrane bound organelles
- single loop of naked DNA
