overall revision Flashcards
What is systematics?
The scientific study of the kinds and diversity of organisms and of any and all relationships among them.
Define taxonomy.
The theory and practice of classifying organisms.
What is nomenclature?
A system of names.
2 justifications for systematics as a distinct discipline?
Utilitarian function and non-utilitarian origin.
4 characters are useful in systematics?
Diagnostic, Colour, Size, Dimorphism.
How are scientific names written?
Generics, Specific, Subspecies: italics; Categories above the genera (Family/Order names): not italics.
4 properties of names in systematics?
- Must be more than 1 alphabet long
- pronounceable
- new names followed by sp. nov. or new species
- no names that can offend people.
What is a museum?
An institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing.
List 2 functions of biodiversity museums.
- Showcase biodiversity - logal, regional and international
- Provide material for research.
What does ICZN stand for?
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
What is the primary aim of the ICZN?
To facilitate communication between biologists and achieve stability in the use of names of animals.
What are the advantages of recognizing subspecies?
- Reflecting Genetic and Morphological Variation
- Conservation Efforts
- Understanding Evolutionary Processes
- Improved Taxonomy and Classification
- Facilitating Scientific Communication
- Assisting in Wildlife Management
- Legal and Policy Implications
- Ecological Studies.
What are the disadvantages of recognizing subspecies?
- Independent trends of geographic variation
- Polytopic subspecies
- Microgeographic races
- Arbitrariness in subspecific separation.
Define a monophyletic group.
A taxonomic group whose members share the same ancestor.
What is a paraphyletic group?
A taxonomic group containing taxa which do not share a common ancestor.
What is a dendrogram?
A diagrammatic drawing in the form of a branching tree designed to indicate degrees of relationship.
What is a cladogram?
A genealogical tree diagram featuring branching points of phyletic lineages, without considering rates of evolutionary divergence.
What does convergence refer to?
Concept of similarity in morphology through parallel evolution in phylogenetically unrelated organisms.
Define character state.
Any characteristic or its attributes used for recognizing, describing, defining or differentiating taxa.
What are cryptic species?
Species that are superficially similar to other species in external morphology and often need non-morphological techniques to differentiate them.
Why are keys advantageous compared to other methods?
Provide unambiguous identifications using the most clearly diagnostic character.
Name one disadvantage of using keys for species identification.
Problems with identification of specimens showing sexual dimorphism or distinct life stages.
What is the Biological Species Concept?
Species as populations of interbreeding organisms that are reproductively isolated from other such groups.
Define the Evolutionary Species Concept.
Species as a lineage of ancestral-descendant sequence of populations that evolve separately from other lineages.
