Chapter 1: Diversity Of Living Things

Question 1

species

Answer 1

a group of organisms that can interbreed in nature and produce fertile offspring

Question 2

morphology

Answer 2

the branch of biology that deals with the structure or form of organisms

Question 3

phylogeny

Answer 3

the evolutionary history of a species

Question 4

taxonomy

Answer 4

the branch of biology that identifies, names, and classifies species based on natural features

Question 5

binomial nomenclature

Answer 5

the system of giving a two word latin name to each species– the first part being the genus and the latter being the species

Question 6

genus (plur. genera)

Answer 6

taxomic group of closely related species

Question 7

classification

Answer 7

the grouping of organisms based on a set of criteria that helps to organize and indicate evolutionary relationships

Question 8

hierarchal classification

Answer 8

the method of classifying organisms in which species are arranged in categories from most general (domain) to most specific (species)

Question 9

rank

Answer 9

a level in a classification scheme (kingdom, phylum, class…)

Question 10

taxon (plur. taxa)

Answer 10

a names group of organisms (phylum Chordata, order Rodentia…)

Question 11

ancestor

Answer 11

an organism (or organisms) from which other groups of organisms are descended

Question 12

anatomy

Answer 12

the branch of biology that deals with structure and form (morphology), including internal systems

Question 13

physiology

Answer 13

the branch of biology dealing which the physical and chemical functions of organisms, including internal processes

Question 14

phylogenetic tree

Answer 14

a branching diagram used to show the evolutionary relationships among species

Question 15

structural diversity

Answer 15

a type of biological diversity that is exhibited in the variety of structural forms in living things, from internal cell structure to body morphology

Question 16

prokaryotic

Answer 16

a smaller, simple type of cell that does not have a membrane-bound nucleus

Question 17

eukaryotic

Answer 17

a larger, complex type of cell that does have a membrane-bound nucleus

Question 18

dichotomous key

Answer 18

an identification tool consisting of a series of two part choices that lead the user to a correct identification

Question 19

autotroph

Answer 19

an organism that captures energy from sunlight (or sometimes non-living substances) to produce its own energy-yielding food

Question 20

heterotroph

Answer 20

an organism that cannot make its own food and gets its nutrients and energy from consuming other organisms

Question 21

species diversity

Answer 21

the variety and abundances of species in a given area

Question 22

genetic diveristy

Answer 22

the variety of genes in a population of interbreeding individuals

Question 23

ecosystem diveristy

Answer 23

the variety of ecosystems in a biosphere

Question 24

gene pool

Answer 24

all the genes of all the individuals in a population

Question 25

population

Answer 25

a group of individuals of the same species in a specific area at a specific time

Question 26

resilience

Answer 26

the ability of an ecosystem to remain functional and stable in the presence of disturbances to its parts (greater species diversity = more resilience)