Species and taxonomy

• Classification is the organising of living organisms into groups based on similarities and differences
• A species is a population of individuals that can be bred to produce fertile offspring
• Carl Linnaeus created the binomial system. This Greek names with the genus first and specific species second
• Courtship behaviour makes breeding more successful
• Species of similar courtship relationships are more closely related
• A group of similar organisms at any level is called a taxon
• The science of classification is called taxonomy. It looks at grouping organisms and putting them in their hierarchical positions
• Morphology is physical structure
• Ultrastructure is microscopic details like cell walls
• Embryology is the study of embryo development
• Palaeontology is the study of fossils and bones
• Ethology is the different behavioural patterns in animals
• Biochemistry is the different metabolic pathways used by different organisms
• A homologous structure are structure with similar evolutionary origins regardless of the function of that structure
• Dirty Kinky Pete Comes Over For Gentle Spooning
• Phylogeny is the evolutionary relationship between organisms
• Phylogenetic trees shows the relationship between different taxons
• The oldest groups are at the base of the tree. The youngest groups are at the end of the branches