Unity and Diversity of Organisms Lecture Notes Flashcards

Flashcards about Unity and Diversity of Organisms

Diversity of Organisms

Life on Earth exhibits a remarkable degree of variation, from single-celled organisms to coral reefs and trees.

Cladistics

Classifying life forms based on evolutionary relationships.

Cladograms

Diagrams that depict evolutionary relationships between species, similar to a family tree.

Variation Between Organisms

Patterns of variation are complex and form the basis for naming and classifying organisms. No two individuals are identical in all traits.

Classifying Organisms

Categorizing organisms based on morphology, feeding habits, habitat, movement, daily activity, risk, and anatomy.

Morphology

The physical appearance of an organism.

Taxon

A category into which organisms are placed.

Domain

The largest taxon that encompasses all more specific taxa.

Taxonomy

The science and skill of categorizing life.

Taxonomists

Specialists who categorize life.

Discontinuous Variation

Variations that can be placed into distinct categories (e.g., blood type).

Continuous Variation

Variations with a wide range of possibilities (e.g., tree height).

Carolus Linnaeus

The original morphological concept of species was created by?

Binomial Nomenclature

A system of naming organisms using two names: genus and species.

Homo sapiens - What are the two terms?

Genus and Species

Objectives/Rules of Binomial Nomenclature

Each organism has a unique name, names are universally understood, and the system is relatively stable.

Biological Species Concept

A group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

Ernst Mayr

Proposed the Biological Species Concept in 1942.

Other Characteristics to Define a Species

The ecological niche of an organism, genetics, types of molecules produced, and lineage for extinct species.

Speciation

Splitting of one species into two or more due to reproductive isolation and differing selection pressures.

Diploid

A nucleus that has chromosomes organized into homologous pairs.

Haploid

Sex cells (gametes) that contain only a single chromosome from each pair.

Variable n

The number of sets of chromosomes a nucleus can have.

Karyogram

A representation of chromosomes arranged according to size, shape, and centromere position.

Karyotype

The specific number and appearance of chromosomes in a cell.

True or False: Humans have 48 chromosomes

False

Two shapes a chromosome can have?

Metacentric and Acrocentric

Telomeres

The caps at the tips of chromosomes that contain repeating sequences of DNA for protection

Genome

All the genetic information of an organism.

SNPs

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms; variations involving one base in the DNA sequence.

Human Genome Project

An international cooperative venture that sequenced the complete human genome.

Bioinformatics

A research field using computer science and IT to understand biological processes.

Mitochondrial DNA Analysis

A way to compare genetic diversity in eukaryotes by focusing on mitochondrial DNA.

Swiss-Prot

Online database of protein sequences.

Satellite DNA

Short repeating sequences of DNA.

GenBank

All publically available DNA sequences.

Ensembl

A database and browser of genomic information about humans and other vertebrates.

Unity Within the Human Species

Established there are no genes for bioluminescence, wings for flight, gills to breathe underwater, echolocation organs for seeing without light, chloroplasts for photosynthesis, and so on in human population.

Phylogenetics

A technique to identify species and compare them to see evolutionary relationships by comparing whole genome sequences.

Personalized Medicine

The premise is that, if doctors know a patient's DNA profile, the best adapted treatment can be prescribed for dynamic diseases.

Parthenogenesis

Females of certain stick insects can produce young without mating with a male.

Vegetative Propagation

Strawberry plants send out a runner that takes root near the original plant.

Bacterial Reproduction

Asexual reproduction in bacteria using binary fission.

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Bacteria are undergoing this when they can exchange genetic material within their lifetime, rather than just at the start.

Xenologs or Jumping Genes

Such genes, known as these travel in plasmids from one bacterium to another.

Chromosome Number

Atypical can make it difficult for homologous pairs of chromosomes to match up during meiosis.

Dichotomous Key

Establish which taxa an organism belongs to.

DNA Barcode

A short sequence of DNA (several hundred base pairs) inside an organism's cells that can be used to quickly identify the species.

Barcode Identification Number (BIN)

Is matched against a database of sequences that are known to belong to previously identified and named organisms.

Environmental DNA (eDNA)

Water samples can be taken from lakes, rivers, estuaries and oceans, and soil samples can be taken from fields and forests.

Bioindicators or Indicator Species

These organisms are so sensitive to certain types of pollution that their presence in an ecosystem indicates a lack of pollution.

How can organisms be identified?

Dichotomous keys and experienced expert eyes

How is the biodiversity of the zone is affected near a polluted area?

Dichotomous keys and experienced expert eyes along with water/soil testing.