species and taxonomy

Question 1

what is a species

Answer 1

organisms that can breed together to produce fertile offspring

offspring from 2 different species mating may be infertile as they have an odd number of chromosomes so can’t perform meiosis to produce haploid sex cells

Question 2

what is courtship behaviour

Answer 2

allows recognition of members of the same species as courtship behaviour is specific
- production of fertile offspring
- indication of sexual maturity
- recognition/ attraction of opposite sex
- stimulate release of gametes
- establish a pair bind to raise young
- synchronise mating —> max probability that sperm still fertilise ovum

Question 3

what is a phylogenetic classification system

Answer 3

arranges species into groups based in evolutionary origins and relationships

Question 4

what is a hierarchy

Answer 4

smaller groups placed within larger groups with no over lap

Question 5

what is the taxa

Answer 5

Domain (dominant)
Kingdom (kinky)
Phylum (penguins)
Class (can)
Order (only)
Family (find)
Genus (good)
Species (sex)

Question 6

how is each species universally identified

Answer 6

binomial naming
name of genus and species
genus always capital

no confusion as many organisms have more than one common name

Question 7

how is genome sequencing used to clarify evolutionary relationships between organisms

Answer 7

compare the order of base sequences of whole genome of different species

higher % match = more closely related

Question 8

how is immunology used to clarify evolutionary relationships between organisms

Answer 8

DNA-> mRNA -> sequence of amino acids
so tertiary structure of protein tells us about sequence of DNA

If same antibody binds to a specific antigen then it is closely related