Taxonomy And Classification Flashcards
Define species
Organisms that can breed to produce fertile offspring.
Why can organisms of different species produce a fertile offspring?
Their offspring will have an odd number of chromosomes so can’t perform meiosis to produce sex cells
How is courtship behaviour a necessary precursor to success to successful mating?
Courtship behaviours allows an individual to:
Identify species
Indicate sexual maturity
Identify opposite sex
Stimulate release of gametes
Ensures survival of offspring by forming pair bonds
Why is phylogenetic classification system used?
Arranges species into groups based on their evolutionary origins and relationships, based on DNA and mRNA sequences
What is a hierarchy?
Smaller groups places within larger groups, with no overlaps between groups.
What is a taxa?
A group in the phylogenetic classification system
