classification and evolution

• what are the seven taxonomic groups (in order)?

  kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
• what are hierarchical classifications commonly referred to as?

  Linnaean classification
• why classify organisms?

  • identify species that an organism belongs to
  • predict characteristics (if several members in a group have a specific characteristic, it is likely that another species in the group will have the same characteristic
  • find evolutionary links (species in the same group probably share characteristics because they have evolved from ta common ancestor
• what are the 3 domains?

  archaea, bacteria, eukarya
• how many domains are there?

  3
• define a species?

  A group of organisms are able to reproduce, producing fertile offspring.
• do not confuse viable offspring with fertile offspring. viable means the organism produced survives, that does not mean is it capable of producing offspring e.g. mules. type 'C'?

  C
• in binomial nomenclature what does each word indicate?


  the first word indicates he organisms genus and the second word indicates the organisms species
• what are the rules for binomial nomenclature?

  italics, lower case except the first letter of the genus name
• how many kingdoms are there?

  5
• what are the 5 kingdoms?

  Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protoctista and prokaryotae
• what are protoctista?

  unicellular eukaryotes
• what are some general features of prokaryotae?

  unicellular, no membrane bound organelles
• what are some general feature of protoctista?

  mainly unicellular, membrane bound organelles, nutrients are acquired by photosynthesis (autotrophic feeders), ingestion of organisms (heterotrophic feeders), or both
• what are some features of fungi?

  unicellular or multicellular, membrane bound organelles, cell wall made of chitin, most of their food stores as glycogen, nutrients acquired by absorption (saprophytic feeders)
• general features of plantae?

  multicellular, membrane bound organelles, cell wall made of cellulose, nutrients acquired by photosynthesis (autotrophic feeders), food store is starch
• general features of animalia?

  multicellular, membrane bound organelles, nutrients acquired by ingestion (heterotrophic feeders), food stored as glycogen
• in order for an organisms characteristics to change, their DNA must have changed
• by comparing similarities in DNA and proteins of different species, evolutionary relationships can be found
• define phylogeny?

  evolutionary relationships between organisms
• phylogeny can be used to confirm that the classification groups are correct or causes them to be changed
• what causes variation?

  genes, environment
• why is a plant more affected by its environment than animals?

  cannot move
• is skin colour an example of genetic or environmental variation?

  both
• characteristics that show continuous variation are controlled by a number of genes
• when continuous data is plotted onto a graph it usually produces a bell-shaped curve known as a normal distribution curve
• characteristics of a normal distribution curve include?

  equal mode, mean and median
• why is a t test used?

  compare means of two populations
• what is the correlation coefficient used for?

  measure relationship between two data sets
• what is an adaptation?

  characteristic that increases organisms chance of survival
• what are the three type of adaptations?

  anatomical, behavioural and physiological
• what are anatomical adaptations?

  physical adaptations
• what are behavioural adaptations?

  the way an organism acts (can be inherited or learnt)
• what are physiological adaptations?

  processes that take place inside an organism
• what is mimicry?

  copying another animals appearance or sounds
• what does mimicry allow a harmless animal to do?

  fool predators into thinking it is dangerous
• what are analogous structures?

  Structures that have the same functions but different evolutionary origins.
• fins on a whale and fins on a fish are examples of what type of structure?

  analogous structures
• what is convergent evolution?

  when unrelated species share similar characteristics
• when does convergent evolution occur?

  when unrelated species adapt to similar environments