Biodiversity & Classification

• Adaptation


  A feature of an organism that increases its chance of survival in its environment. Adaptations may be anatomical, physiological or behavioural.
• Anatomical adaptations


  • Changes to the physical features of an organism that increase its chance of survival in its environment
• Animalia


  A biological kingdom consisting of multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryotes that do not have a cell wall
• Archaea


  One of the three domains made up of primitive bacteria existing in extreme environments, e.g. extremophile prokaryotes
• Bacteria


  One of the three domains that consists of true bacteria
• Behavioural adaptations


  • The ways in which an organism acts differently to increase its chance of survival in its environment
• Binomial system


  The universal system of naming organisms using their genus and species
• Biodiversity


  The number and variety of living organisms in a given region. It is affected by environmental, genetic and human factors
• Classification


  The organisation of organisms into groups
• DNA profiling


  A method of determining the characteristics of an individual's DNA. The percentage of DNA or proteins shared by organisms can be used to estimate relatedness

  
• DNA sequencing


  Determining the entire DNA nucleotide base sequence of an organism. Comparisons between members of the same species can identify variation in base sequences and hence estimate genetic diversity
• Domain


  The highest taxonomic rank. There are three domains; Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryota
• Eukarya


  One of the three domains that consists of all eukaryotic organisms
• Five kingdom classification system

  The classification of organisms into five major kingdoms: Animalia, Fungi, Plantae, Prokaryotae and Protoctista
• Fungi


  A biological kingdom consisting of heterotrophic eukaryotes that have chitin cell walls and reproduce asexually by producing spores
• Genetic biodiversity


  A measure of the variety of genes that make up a species. It can be assessed by determining the proportion of the population that possess a certain allele or the number of alleles at a locus
• Kingdom


  The second highest taxonomic rank. There are five kingdoms: Animalia, Fungi, Plantae, Prokaryotae and Protoctista
• Linnaean system


  The classification of organisms into kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species
• Morphological convergence


  The independent evolution of analogous features in unrelated organisms due to exposure to similar environments or selection pressures
• Natural selection


  The process by which the frequency of 'advantageous' alleles gradually increases in a population's gene pool over time
• Physiological adaptations


  • The internal body changes that an organism undergoes to increase its chance of survival in its environment
• Plantae


  A biological kingdom consisting of multicellular eukaryotes that have a cellulose cell wall and can photosynthesise
• Prokaryotae


  A biological kingdom consisting of unicellular prokaryotes which lack a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
• Proportion of polymorphic gene loci


  A measure of genetic biodiversity. Calculated using:

  
• Protoctista


  A biological kingdom consisting of unicellular eukaryotes
• Simpson's Index of Diversity (D)

  A measurement of diversity that considers both species richness and evenness. A value between 0 and 1 is found and the greater the value, the greater the diversity. Calculated using the formula:

  
• Species


  A group of similar organisms that are able to breed with one another to produce living, fertile offspring
• Species evenness


  The number of individuals of each species living together in a community
• Species richness


  The number of different species found within an area
• Taxonomic hierarchy


  The arrangement of organisms into successive levels of classification known as taxonomic groups
• Three-domain system


  A method of classification in which organisms are categorised into three groups; Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryota