Ecology classification and adaptations

• We use classification to help sort out ancestors, descent relationships and to map the evolutionary history of living things
• living things are classified based on structure and characteristics
• the more shared characteristics living organisms have, the closer related they are
• How closely related organisms are shows how recently they diverged from a common ancestor
• Carl Linnaeus grouped organisms together based on their structure and characteristics he observed
• Carl Linnaeus created the hierarchal structure for classifying living organisms
• Carl Linnaeus created the binomial naming system
• The classification system is Kingdom, Phylem, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
• each group within a biological classification system is called a taxon
• in the binomial naming system each living organism is given a combination two names to identify it based on its genus (first name) and species (second name)
• the development of microscopes enabled scientists to compare the internal cellular structure of organisms and develop the kingdoms
• members of the same species can breed and are very similar
• species is the smallest groups of clearly identified living organisms
• the binomial naming system is universal and the same all around the world
• the original kingdoms by Carl Linnaeus were plants and animals
• the modern kingdoms were made due to microscopes being developed. they are prokaryotes, protisa, fungi, plants and animals
• the domains are Archea, Bacteria and Eukaryota
• archea is primitive forms of bacteri that include extremophiles
• the bacteria domain is true bacteria and cyanobacteria, bacteria like organisms that can photosynthesise (eubacteria)
• eukaryota is all organisms with cells that contain a nucleus ( fungi , plant , animal and protista)
• Carl Wose created the domain system
• Evolutionary trees show the relationships between organisms (the closer they are on the tree the more recently they diverged)
• a habitat is the place where an organism lives
• the conditions in a habitat are the environment
• the physical environment of a habitat is affected by biotic factors such as wind, temperature, water, sunlight, ph of soil, atmosphere
• biotic factors are non living factors
• abiotic factors are living factors such as predator and prey numbers
• adaptations are features that make an organism successful in its habitat
• the population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area
• a community is a group of different populations of species that live in an area
• behavioural adaptations are things an organism does to survive for example hibernate or migrate
• functional adaptations is anything that helps an organism to carry out major life functions such as photosynthesising
• structural adaptations are any physical features of an organism for example a beak
• large animals (elephants) have a small surface area to volume ratio so they loose heat to the surroundings meaning they cant overheat
• transpiration is water being lost through the stomata
• xerophytes is a species of plant which has adapted to survive with little liquid (cactus)
• extremophiles are organisms that live in extreme environments and can survive in conditions that would kill most other organisms
• thermophiles are a type of extremophile that is particularly tolerant to heat. they have highly specialised enzymes to sustain the high temperatures
• animals compete for food territory and mates
• there is competition between animals of the same and different species