Grouping organisms and environments Flashcards
Taxonomy
The study of how organisms can be grouped
Group types
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
Taxon
The name of the group in taxonomy
Species
A group of organisms closely related and able to naturally interbreed to produce fertile offspring
Oak trees and House sparrow are both species
Most species can’t produce fertile offspring with other species due to genetic incompatibility
Very closely related species may be able to produce fertile offspring but very rarely in the wild
Latin names
Used as universal language for naming species
First part of name is the genus
Second part of name is species
Genus
A group of very closely related species
PASSER is the genus for sparrows
Population
All the individuals of a species in a particular area
Eg. all the carp in a lake
Community
All the populations in specific area
Eg. all the individuals of all the species in a wood
Ecosystem
The community, the inter-relationships, and their interactions with their abiotic environment
Physical processes link different ecosystems
Eg. Nutrient movements, migrations
Ecosystems are usually self-contained functional units
Eg. coral reef, rainforest, tundra
Habitat
The place where an organism, species, or population lives
Usually a particular part of an ecosystem
Eg. Moles living in soil of a grassland
Niche
The role the species plays in the habitat including the way it uses environmental resources and the way it changes its environment
Eg. tawny owl is a nocturnal predator that nests in hollow trees and feeds on small mammals or birds
No two species can occupy the same niche without one being outcompeted
Biome
A large geographical region with particular climatic features
Eg. temperature, light levels, water availability
Usually named after the dominant vegetations
Eg. deciduous broadleaf woodland, mangroves, tundra
