Chapter 1: Diversity Of Living Things Flashcards
species
a group of organisms that can interbreed in nature and produce fertile offspring
morphology
the branch of biology that deals with the structure or form of organisms
phylogeny
the evolutionary history of a species
taxonomy
the branch of biology that identifies, names, and classifies species based on natural features
binomial nomenclature
the system of giving a two word latin name to each species– the first part being the genus and the latter being the species
genus (plur. genera)
taxomic group of closely related species
classification
the grouping of organisms based on a set of criteria that helps to organize and indicate evolutionary relationships
hierarchal classification
the method of classifying organisms in which species are arranged in categories from most general (domain) to most specific (species)
rank
a level in a classification scheme (kingdom, phylum, class…)
taxon (plur. taxa)
a names group of organisms (phylum Chordata, order Rodentia…)
ancestor
an organism (or organisms) from which other groups of organisms are descended
anatomy
the branch of biology that deals with structure and form (morphology), including internal systems
physiology
the branch of biology dealing which the physical and chemical functions of organisms, including internal processes
phylogenetic tree
a branching diagram used to show the evolutionary relationships among species
structural diversity
a type of biological diversity that is exhibited in the variety of structural forms in living things, from internal cell structure to body morphology
prokaryotic
a smaller, simple type of cell that does not have a membrane-bound nucleus
eukaryotic
a larger, complex type of cell that does have a membrane-bound nucleus
dichotomous key
an identification tool consisting of a series of two part choices that lead the user to a correct identification
autotroph
an organism that captures energy from sunlight (or sometimes non-living substances) to produce its own energy-yielding food
heterotroph
an organism that cannot make its own food and gets its nutrients and energy from consuming other organisms
species diversity
the variety and abundances of species in a given area
genetic diveristy
the variety of genes in a population of interbreeding individuals
ecosystem diveristy
the variety of ecosystems in a biosphere
gene pool
all the genes of all the individuals in a population
population
a group of individuals of the same species in a specific area at a specific time
resilience
the ability of an ecosystem to remain functional and stable in the presence of disturbances to its parts (greater species diversity = more resilience)
