4.3 classification and evolution

• genetic variation: the differences in alleles that make up an organism's genome
• environment variation: variation in the environment that can affect the development of an organism
• autotrophic is an organism that produces its own food (nutrients)
• heterotrophs: an organism that can't produce it's own food
• behavioural adaptions are physical changes that allow an organism to survive in a particular environment
• physiological adaptation is a change in physiology, such as metabolism or respiration rate, which allows an organism to cope with environmental conditions
• anatomical adaptions are the physical features of an organism that help it survive in its environment
• the three main types of adaption are: physiological, behavioural and anatomical
• adaption: the process by which an organism changes to suit its environment
• variation: the differences in the characteristics of individuals in a population, due to genetic differences
• variation is caused by genetics and the environment
• intraspecific variation is the variation within a species, such as the variation between individuals of the same species
• interspecific variation is the variation between individuals of different species
• interspecific variation is the variation between individuals of different species, and intraspecific variation is the variation within a species
• natural selection is the process by which individuals with traits that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce
• speciation is the process by which a population of organisms becomes a new species
• natural classification is the grouping of organisms based on their evolutionary relationships, not their physical characteristics
• classification is the process of grouping organisms into groups based on similarities and differences
• phylogeny is the evolutionary history of an organism or group of organisms
• convergent evolution is when species evolve similar traits due to similar environments
• artificial classification: a classification system that is not based on evolutionary relationships but on other criteria
• the five kingdoms are prokaryotes, fungi, plants, animals, protists.
• protists are eukaryotic organisms that are not plants or animals
• evolution is the change in the inherited characteristics of a population over time
• fungi is a group of organisms that includes molds, yeasts, and mushrooms
• plants have cell walls made of cellulose
• prokaryotes are unicellular organisms with no nucleus
• taxonomy is the study of principles behind the classification of organisms according to their observed features or genetic characteristics
• the classification levels of the biological classification system are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species
• species: a group of organisms that can breed to produce fertile offspring
• family: a group of genera
• genus: a group of closely related species
• order: a group of families
• phylum: a group of classes