1
Q
What is a species?
A
- a group of similar organisms that can breed to produce fertile offspring
2
Q
What must species do to survive?
A
- reproduce + pass on advantageous alleles
3
Q
What are courtship rituals?
A
- sequence of actions, specific to each species, allowing individuals to identify members of their own species
- can inc a sequence of dance moves, sounds, release of pheromones, display of colourful feathers or fighting
- most performed by males + females observe + decide if they want to mate w male
4
Q
Why is courtship behaviour important?
A
- ensures successful reproduction bc allows individuals to recognise own species of opposite sex
- also synchronises mating behaviour bc indicates sexually mature, fertile females
- this inc probability of successful mating + fertilisation
5
Q
What is the role of courtship behaviour (courtship rituals) in species recognition?
A
- bc sequence of actions are specific to each species, it allows individuals to identify members of their own species
- this prevents mating w diff species, so helps maintain reproductive isolation
6
Q
What do courtship rituals show?
A
- more similar a courtship ritual is between diff species = more closely related a species is
- rituals are genetically determined, so species w similar sequence have a similar DNA base sequence
7
Q
Why do diff species look similar?
A
- live in similar envi that have similar selection pressures
- so similar alleles will have selective advantage
- so produces similar/same proteins + so have similar characteristics
8
Q
What is a hierarchy in the phylogenetic classification system?
A
- smaller groups arranged within larger groups, w no overlap between groups
- each group is called a taxon
9
Q
State the order of taxonomic ranks (from high to low) that make up a hierarchy?
A
- domain
- kingdom
- phylum
- class
- order
- family
- genus
- species
10
Q
What is a binomial name?
A
- name for a species, allowing it to be universally identified
- 1st name = genus, 2nd name = species
- written in italics + genus has a capital letter
- species w same genus = close relationship
11
Q
What is the phylogenetic classification system + what does it allow us to do?
A
- system arranging species into groups based on evolutionary origins + relationships
- helps us understand relationships between organisms + keep track of changes
- system needs to be universal + is based on putting organisms into groups
12
Q
How were organisms originally classified into groups?
A
- based on visible similarities (e.g. appearance, behaviour)
13
Q
What has helped to clarify evolutionary relationships between organisms?
A
- advances in genome sequencing, inc DNA, mRNA + AA sequence
- advances in immunology, inc comparing similarity in self-antibody shape
