Taxonomy and Classification Flashcards
What is Taxonomy?
The science of classification
What is Phylogenetics?
The study of evolutionary relationships
What is systematics?
Study of taxonomy and relationships
What is the breakdown of the linnaen classification?
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, genus, Species
What is a monophyletic group?
A group that shares a common ancestor
What is a paraphyletic group?
A group derived from a single ancestor excluding some descendants
What is a Polyphyletic group?
A group that is derived from multiple ancestors
What is plesiomorphy?
An ancestral character
What is apomorphy?
A derived character
What is a symplesiomorphy?
A shared ancestral trait
What is a synapomorphy?
Shared Derived Characteristic
What is Homology?
Similarity of structures due to common origin
What is serial homology?
similar structures on two segments of one organism due to common origin
What is Homoplasy?
Similar structures due to convergent evolution
In which time period did flowering plants lead to a burst in evolution of insects?
The cretaceous
What is the order of the oldest hexapod fossil
Collembola
What happened during the cretaceous?
Flowering plants evolved massive radiation of coleoptera and lepidoptera
What are the key innovations in insect evolution?
- internal fertilization, 2. 6-legged body plan, 3. female ovipositor, 4. dicondylic mandibles, 5. wings, 6. wing flexing, 7. complete metamorphosis
What is the superclass of insects?
Hexapoda
What are the characteristics of Collembola?
rudementary eyes, furcula to enable jumping, epimorphic development
What are the characteristics of order diplura?
no eyes, long antennae, developed trachea, epimorphic development
What are the characteristics of the order protura?
lack eyes and antennae, anamorphic development
What are the ancestral characters of the class insecta?
adults with ocelli and compound eyes, ectognathous mouthparts, 6 segmented thoracic legs, primitive 11 segment abdomen, gonopore segments 8 and 9, cerci, spiracle gas exchange, larval development epimorphic
What are the characteristics of Archeognatha?
Commonly known as bristle tails, Monocondylic mouthparts, prognathous mouthparts, earliest branch of insecta
What are the characteristics of Zygentoma?
Commonly known as silverfish, dorso-ventrally flattened, dicondylic mandibles, multi-segmented cerci + caudal filament that makes a T
What are the characteristics of ephemeroptera?
non-functional adult mouthparts, male forelegs modified, subimago stage, aquatic immatures, intermediate mouthparts.