A3.1 Diversity of Organisms Cards

variation

differences in an aspect of an organisms

population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Taxonomy

The science of classifying organisms

morphology

study of form

species

A group of similar organisms capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring.

morphological concept

when organisms are classified into species based on shared morphological traits.

binomial nomenclature

a naming system where species are named using both their genus and species names. The first letter of genus name is capitalized while the species name is lowercase. It is often in italics.

sexual dimorphism

Differences in physical characteristics between males and females of the same species.

biological species concept

defines a species dbased on their ability to interbreed and prodce fertile offspring

fertility

The production of offspring within a population

Infertility

the condition of being unable to reproduce

interbreed

(with reference to an animal) breed or cause to breed with another of a different race or species.

hybrid

Offspring of crosses between parents from two different species

chromosomes

a long molecule of DNA containing part of the genetic material of an organism.

autosomes

Chromosomes that do not play a role in determining the biological sex of an organism.
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speciation

the formation fo a new species from splitting one pre-existing species into two or more new species

diploid

2 sets of chromosomes

Karyotyping

the process of sorting chromosomes into their matched pairs. An important technique for investigating and identifying sex and chromosomal abnormalities.

karyogram

homologous chromosomes

Pair of chromosomes that are the same size, same appearance and same genes.binar

karyogram

an image created by sorting, matching, and aligning the chromosomes of an individual allowing for the visual representation of chromosome characteristics.

what is the basis of chromosome pairing?

size, length, centromere location, and banding patterns

vestigial telomere

A remnant of a telomere found within human Chromosome 2, suggesting a fusion site.

genome

all the genetic information of an organism

single-nucleotide polymorphisms

variation in a DNA sequence occurring when a single nucleotide in a genome is replace with another

genome size

is the total amount of DNA in a cell.

what does the size of the genome indicate

the actual amount of genetic material as determined by the number of base pairs

genome sizes measurements:

Kilobases (1kb = 1000bp)
Megabases (1Mb = 1,000,000bp).
Gigabases (1Gb = 1,000,000,000bp)

(bp are base pairs)

polymorphism

refers to the existence of multiple forms of a particular trait or characteristic within a species.

genome sequencing

The process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism's genome.

binary fission

A form of asexual reproduction in single-celled organisms by which one cell divides into two cells of the same size

budding

A form of asexual reproduction of yeast in which a new cell grows out of the body of a parent.

horizontal gene transfer

transfer of genes between cells of the same generation

dichotomous key

a tool used in fieldwork to identify a species composed of a series of questions or statements based on the physical traits of the organism concerned.

DNA barcoding

when an unknown specimen or environmental sample where the collection of DNA is used to identify specific sequence that create a unique "barcode" for that specimen.

biodiversity

The number of different species in an area

centromere

Central region of a chromosome pair where two copies of the same chromosome remain attached to each other.
See entire glossary