Principles of classification Flashcards
biodiversity
a measure of the variety of living organisms and their genetic differences
evolution
the process by which natural selection acts on variation to bring about adaptations and eventually speciation
taxonomy
the science of describing, classifying and naming living organisms
morphology
the study of the form and structure of organisms
analogous features
features that look similar or have a similar function, but are not from the same biological origin
homologous structures
structures that genuinely show common ancestry
domains
the three largest classification categories: the Eukaryota, the Bacteria and the Archea
kingdom
the classification category smaller than domains; there are six kingdoms: Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia
phylum (division, for plants)
a group of classes that all share common characteristics
class
a group of orders that all share common characteristics
order
a group of families that all share common characteristics
family
a group of genera that all share common characteristics
genus
a group of species that all share common characteristics
species
a group of closely related organisms that are all potentially capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring
Archae
domain made up of bacteria-like prokaryotic organisms found in many places including extreme conditions and the soil; they are thought to be early relatives of the eukaryotes
