Species and Taxonomy Flashcards
Species:
Organisms are capable of breeding to produce living, fertile offspring.
Binomial system:
first name - genus (first letter of the work upper case) and second name - species
Courtship behaviour
Individuals can, therefore, recognise members of their own species by the way they act. The ability to display a behaviour is genetically determined
What is the purpose of courtship behaviour?
- Recognise members of their own species, identify a mate that is capable of breeding, form a pair bond, become able to breed, synchronise mating.
What is artificial classification?
Divides organisms according to differences that are useful at the time. Some features may include colour, size and number of legs.
What is phylogenetic classification?
Based upon the evolutionary relationship between organisms and their ancestry, species are grouped using shared features derived from their ancestors
What is phylogenetic classification partly based on?
Homologous characteristics have similar evolutionary origins regardless of their functions in the adult of a species
What is a taxon?
Each group within a phylogenetic biological classification
What is Taxonomy?
The study of these taxons and their positions in a hierarchical order, and these are known as taxonomic ranks
What are 3 domains?
Bacteria, Archaea (a group of prokaryotes) and Eukarya
What is the bacteria domain?
A group of single-celled prokaryotes.
What are the Archaea?
A group of single-celled prokaryotes that were originally classified as bacteria, which they resemble in appearance.
How does Archaea differ from bacteria?
There is no meurin in cell walls, their genes and protein synthesis more similar to euakryotes, they have more complex form of RNA polymerase
