taxonomy + classification Flashcards
(21 cards)
what is a species?
group of similar organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
why do different species look similar?
- live in a similar environment
- have similar selection pressures
- similar alleles will have selective advantage
- produce similar proteins and therefore have similar characteristics
what is courtship behaviour?
set of behaviours exhibited by male or female members of a species to attract a mate
examples of courtship behaviour?
sequence of dance moves, sounds, feather display, fighting
what are the main importances of courtship behaviour?
- to ensure succesful reproduction
- to ensure survival of offspring
how does courtship behaviour allow succesful reproduction?
- enables them to recognise and attract members of the same species
- synchronises mating behaviour
how does courtship behaviour allow for offspring survival?
- forms a pair bond
- helps identify a mate that is healthy and strong
what does similar courtship behaviour indicate?
the species are more closely related to
what does phylogeny refer to?
species are arranged in groups according to evolutionary origins and relationships
what does phylogenetic trees tell us?
- tell us who’s closely related and how closely related
- all organisms have evolve from shared common ancestors
- most recent common ancestor, the more closely related
what do branches on phylogenetic trees represent?
- groups diverging from common ancestor
what are the three domains?
- eubacteria
- archea
- eukaryota
what were the five kingdoms based on?
RNA sequence similarities
what are the five kingdoms?
- prokaryota
- fungi
- plantae
- animalia
- protocista
what does the binomial naming system tell us?
first name is Genus, second name is species - universal
what does having the same genus tell us?
closely related
what does hierarchy mean?
smaller groups are arranged within larger groups, with no overlap between groups
what is the classification system?
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
what are the three reasons for classifying?
- to understand the relationship between organisms and keep track of changes
- system needs to be universal
- system is based on putting organisms into groups
what were the old ways of classifying?
Appearance, behaviour, fossils
what are the modern ways of classifying?
- DNA sequences
- mRNA sequences
- Amino acid sequences
- immunological = comparing similarity in self-antibody shape
