A3.2 Cladistics (HL)

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to biodiversity and classification in biological systems, focusing on cladistics and phylogenetics.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or a particular habitat.

Cladistics

A classification method that groups organisms based on shared derived characteristics.

Taxa

Groups of one or more populations of an organism or organisms that form a unit.

Phylogenetics

The study of the evolutionary relationships among biological entities.

Cladogram

A branching diagram showing the evolutionary relationships among a number of species.

Molecular clock

A method that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when two or more life forms diverged.

Common ancestor

A species from which multiple species have descended.

Homology

Similarity in structure or function of different species due to shared ancestry.

Analogy

The similarity in function or appearance of organisms that evolved independently.

Eukarya

One of the three domains of life characterized by cells with a nucleus.

Hierarchical classification

A system for categorizing organisms in a ranked order.

Species

The most specific level of classification, a group of organisms that can interbreed.

Genus

A group of species that are closely related and share a common ancestor.

DNA sequencing

The process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule.

Chloroplast DNA

The DNA contained within the chloroplasts of plants, often used in phylogenetic studies.