species and taxonomy

Question 1

define species

Answer 1

group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring

Question 2

what are the advantages of courtship behaviour

Answer 2

individuals can recognise sexually mature members of their own species of the opposite sex, synchronise mating, form a pair bond and successfully breed

Question 3

define classification

Answer 3

process of arranging organisms into groups

Question 4

name the eight groups an organism can be classified into, from largest to smallest

Answer 4

domain
kingdom
phylum
class
order
family
genus
species

Question 5

what system is used to give species a universal name

Answer 5

binomial naming system

Question 6

where are the two components to a binomial name

Answer 6

generic name = genus the organism belongs to. two closely related species will share the same genus.

specific name = the species the organism belongs to

Question 7

how are binomial names handwritten

Answer 7

first letter of the generic name should be capitalised, with the rest in lowercase. the whole name should be underlined

Question 8

what is phylogenetic classification

Answer 8

process of arranging organisms into groups based on their evolutionary origins and relationships

Question 9

how can we clarify evolutionary relationships between organisms

Answer 9

analyse their molecular differences
advances in immunology/genome sequencing provide clear pictures of how related two organisms are