Chapter 7 Flashcards

1
Q

What is taxonomy

A

-it is the science of naming and organizing organisms into their related groups

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2
Q

Why is the Linnaeus system unique

A
  • before this guy, we didn’t have an agreed upon system for naming organisms
  • > this has led to considerable confusion
  • > under this unique system, every organisms is given a binomial name
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3
Q

Describe the binomial name of a species. What it consists of

A
  • it consists of the genus and the specific epiphet
  • > eg; Homo= genus and Sapiens=epiphet, or Tyrannosaurus=genus and rex=epiphet
  • note the genus is always capitalized and the epiphet is not
  • > also note that a binomial name is always italicized
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4
Q

Is a specific genus and epiphet allowed to be shared by two organisms

A
  • no
  • > they can either both share the genus or the epiphets
  • > but not both
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5
Q

What does the rule of priority state

A
  • once a species has been given a binomial name
  • > the name cannot be changed
  • > unless it turns that the organism is not really a new species, in which case the binomial name is abandoned
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6
Q

How does a new species get a binomial name

A
  • a biologist must publish a description of the species in a widely distributed and peer reviewed scientific publication
  • > they must also designate a holotype specimen

-note the published description must include a list of characteristics or combination of characteristics that makes the new species uniq

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7
Q

What is a peer-reviewed scientific publication

A

-one that is not published until it has been reviewed by other scientists to verify that the content of the publication are legitimated and scientifically reasonable

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8
Q

What is a halotype specimen

A
  • physical example of the new species
  • > it must be kept in a research institution
  • > eg; university or museum
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9
Q

Why must a halotype specimen be presented

A
  • so that other scientists may study it and be able to both verify that it is a distinct species
  • > also so that other scientists can compare it to other potentially new species that are later discovered
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10
Q

Does a halotype specimen need to be complete

A
  • no
  • > it can be a broken or partial specimen
  • as long as it shows unique characteristics that make it a distinct species
  • note holotype specimens of dinosaur species are hardly ever complete
  • eg; Hesperonychus
  • > small carnivorous dinosaur about the size of a chicken
  • > all of the other theropod dinosaurs from Dinosaur Provincial Park are much larger than Hesperonychus as adults
  • > indicating that this organism is new and unique
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11
Q

What is the definition of interspecific variation

A

-they are individuals that differ in morphology they belong to different species

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12
Q

What is the definition of intraspecific variation

A
  • individuals that belong to the same speices

- >but have different morphologies

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13
Q

What are the different sources of intraspecific variation that we need to take into account

A
  • males and females of the same species can look different
  • > this is known as sexual dimorphism or sexual variation
  • > eg; male deer that have antlers and female deers that don’t have antlers
  • ontogenic variation
  • > variation that you can see between young individuals and old individuals of the same species
  • > eg; young males haven’t developed antlers
  • individual variation
  • > this is the normal variation that exists among individuals of a given species
  • > eg; humans(we come in a variety of different sizes as adults)
  • > antlers of the deer come in different shapes as well
  • taphonomic variation
  • > this is geological in variation
  • > eg; plastic deformation
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14
Q

What is the biological species concept

A
  • a species is a group of organisms that can successfully interbreed
  • > it works well when applied to most modern animals and many plants
  • > but it cannot be applied to asexual organisms
  • > this definition also cannot be applied to extinct organisms of any kind, since testing if fossils can mate is impossible
  • for any two individuals of a species to reproduce
  • > they need to be living in the same place at the same time
  • > they do not need to look the same
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15
Q

What is a population

A
  • it is the grouping of any organism that lives in the same geographic area and interbreeds
  • > one or more populations make up a single species
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16
Q

What is a morphological species concept

A
  • it is defines a species as a:
  • > group of organisms that share a certain degree of physical similarity
  • > for dinosaurs, fossil specimens are assumed to belong to the same species if their physical similarities are consistent with the similarities that would be expected between members of a group that can interbreed
  • essentially, organisms that all look the same are considered a single species
  • > eg; there are four separate Tyrannosaur species

-the problem with this concept is that members of one species may be split up because they look different

17
Q

What are lumpers

A

-they are paleontologists that require more differences before they consider two species to be distinct

18
Q

What are splittters

A

-these are palentologists who require fewer differences between organisms before considering them distinct species

19
Q

Why does it matter if you are a lumper or a splitter

A

-because that can impact the number of dinosaur species you recognize and on your interpretations of dinosaur species diversity

20
Q

How many species are there on Earth

A
  • recent estimates suggest that there are between five and 30 million species on Earth
  • > we don’t really know and may never know the exact number
21
Q

Which is a reliable feature or characteristic that a scientist can use to divide up organisms into separate species?

A
  • the number of fingers on the hand is the most reliable characteristic to use to separate species from one another
  • the number of fingers is overwhelmingly constant within a species