Species and taxonomy

• Define species


  A group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
• What are the advantages of courtship behaviour

  Individuals can recognise sexually mature members of their own species of the opposite sex and successfully breed
• Define classification


  The process of arranging organisms into groups
• What system is used to give species a universal name

  Binomial naming system
• What are the two components to a binomial name

  Generic name = the genus the organism belongs to. Two closely related species will share the same genus

  Specific name = the species the organism belongs to
• How are binomial names handwritten

  ~The first letter of the generic name should be capitalised, with the rest in lowercase

  ~The whole name should be underlined
• What is phylogenetic classification

  The process of arranging organisms into groups based on their evolutionary origins and relationships
• How can we clarify evolutionary relationships between organisms

  ~Analyse their molecular differences

  ~Advances in immunology/genome sequencing provide clear pictures of how related two organisms are
• Explain hierarchical classification


  ~Groups within groups

  ~No overlap between groups