Chapter 1

Question 1

biodiversity (p. 8)

Answer 1

the number and variety of species and ecosystems on Earth

Question 2

species (p. 8)

Answer 2

all organisms capable of breeding freely with each other under natural conditions

Question 3

hybridization (p. 8)

Answer 3

the cross-breeding of two different species

Question 4

morphology (p. 8)

Answer 4

the physical appearance and characteristics of an organism; also the science of the study of these physical characteristics

Question 5

evolutionary change (p. 9)

Answer 5

a change that occurs in an entire population

Question 6

genetic diversity (p. 9)

Answer 6

the genetic variability among organisms; usually referring to individuals of the same species

Question 7

heterotroph (p. 10)

Answer 7

an organism that obtains energy-rich nutrients by consuming living or dead organisms

Question 8

autotroph (p. 10)

Answer 8

an organism that uses sources of energy to produce nutrients from water,
gases, and/or minerals

Question 9

species diversity (p. 10)

Answer 9

diversity a measure of diversity that takes into account the quantity of each species present, as well as the variety of different species present

Question 10

structural diversity (p. 10)

Answer 10

diversity the range of physical shapes and sizes within a habitat or ecosystem

Question 11

biological classification (p. 14)

Answer 11

the systematic grouping of organisms into biological categories based on physical and evolutionary relationships

Question 12

taxonomy (p. 15)

Answer 12

the science of classifying all organisms; taxonomists classify both living and fossil species

Question 13

botanist (p. 16)

Answer 13

a scientist specializing in the study of plants; also called a plant biologist

Question 14

genus (p. 16)

Answer 14

a taxonomic level consisting of a group of similar species

Question 15

binomial nomenclature (p. 16)

Answer 15

the formal system of naming species the two words taken together form the species name

Question 16

taxon (p. 17)

Answer 16

a category used to classify organisms

Question 17

kingdom (p. 17)

Answer 17

the highest taxonomic level of the traditional Linnaean system of classification

Question 18

dichotomous key (p. 18)

Answer 18

a series of branching, two-part statements used to identify organisms (or objects)

Question 19

evolution (p. 21)

Answer 19

the scientific theory that describes changes in species over time and their shared ancestry

Question 20

clade (p. 21)

Answer 20

a taxonomic group that includes a single common ancestor and all its descendants

Question 21

prokaryote (p. 26)

Answer 21

a single-celled organism that does not contain membrane-bound organelles

Question 22

eukaryote (p. 26)

Answer 22

any organism whose cells contain organelles; some eukaryotic organisms are single-celled, while others are multicellular

Question 23

domain (p. 28)

Answer 23

the highest taxonomic level; there are three domains of life

Question 24

phylogeny (p. 21)

Answer 24

the study of the evolutionary relatedness between, and among, species

Question 25

phylogenetic tree (p. 21)

Answer 25

a diagram depicting the evolutionary relationships between different species or groups