Classification and evoloution Flashcards
Classification definition?
Process in which living organisms are organised into groups
Taxonomy definition?
Is the grouping of the organisms
What are the taxonomic groups?
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
What is the taxonomic group added above Kingdom?
Domain (Archea, bacteria and Eukarya)
Why do scientists classify organisms?
To identify species
To predict characteristics
To find evolutionary links
Species definition?
A group of organisms that are able to reproduce to produce fertile offspring
Why horses and donkeys a separate species?
When they breed together they produce a mule which is infertile
Why aren’t mules classified as a species?
Because they are infertile
What does the generic name show?
The organisms genus, shared by close relatives
What does the specific name show?
The organisms species
What is the binomial nomenclature?
System developed so all scientists talking about same organisms
What is the scientific name?
Written in italics (underlined), generic then specific name (lower case)
What are the 5 kingdoms?
Prokaryotae Protoctisa Fungi Plantae Animalia
Example of a prokaryotae?
Bacteria
Example of protoctitsa?
Unicellular eukaryotes
Features of Prokaryotae?
Unicellular
No nucleus or other membrane bound organelles
Have a ring of naked DNA, and small ribosomes
No visible feeding mechanisms
Protoctista features?
Mainly unicellular
Have a nucleus and other membrane bound organelles
Some have chloroplasts
Food acquired by photosynthesis, ingestion of other organism or are parasites
Fungi features?
Uni or multi cellular
Have nucleus and other membrane bound organelles, and a cell wall made of chitin
No chloroplasts
Body made up of mycelium or threads of hyphae
Saprothropic feeders
Plantae features?
Multicellular
Nucleus, chloroplast, cell wall made of cellulose
Store food as starch
Nutrients acquired by photosynthesis
Animalia features?
Multi cellular Have nucleus, and other membrane bound organelles, but no cell walls No chloroplast Move with cillia Food stored as glycogen Nutrients acquired by ingestion
Eukarya domain features?
80 s ribosomes
RNA polymerase responsible for most mRNA transcription contains 12 proteins
Archaea domain features?
70s ribosomes
RNA polymerase contains between 8 and 10 proteins
Bacteria domain features?
70s ribosomes
RNA polymerase contains 5 proteins
How do the domains add another kingdom?
Splits bacteria into Eubacteria and Archae-bacteria, as they have different chemical makeup, eg. Eubacteria have peptidoglycan walls and archae bacteria dont
Archaebacteria features?
Ancient bacteria, can live in extreme conditions
Eubacteria features?
Common bacteria
What is Pyhlogeny?
Name given to the evolutionary relationships between organisms
What’s a phylogenetic tree?
Diagram used to represent the evolutionary relationships between organisms
Common ancestor meaning?
means all the species being talked about evolved from same species
What are sister groups?
When 2 groups split from the same node
Advantages of phylogenetic classification over taxonomic groupings?
Phylogeny can be done without use of classification, whereas classification relies on phlyogeny as it only looks at characteristics
Phylogeny produces flowing tree, whereas taxonomical groups are discrete.
Evidence of evolution?
Paleontology, the study of fossils and the fossil record
Comparative anatomy
Comparative biochemistry
How does the fossil record provide evidence of evolution?
Simplest organisms found in oldest rocks, and most complex organisms found in youngest rocks
What’s a homologous structure?
Structures which appears superficially different in different organisms but has same underlying structure, eg limbs of mammals, showing that we have all evolved from a common ancestor
What’s divergent evolution?
Describes how from a common ancestor different species have evolved
Definition of comparative biochemistry?
The study of similarities and differences in the proteins and other molecules that control life processes
