Studied by 5 people
Adaption
A feature of an organism that enhances its ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
Biotic
Living components of an environment
Biodiversity
The range of living organisms within an environment.
Abiotic
the non-living physical factors that affect the organism’s ability to survive
Hierarchical
relating to the graded organisation of grouping from general to ver specific sub-groups
Classification
grouping of organisms based on similarities in morphology, anatomy and biochemistry
Asexual Reproduction
the production of genetically identical offspring from a single parent
Sexual reproduction
The production of offspring that has genetic material from two parents
Taxonomy
The science of naming and classifying living things
Taxon
Any group in a biological classification into which related organisms are classified, for example Phylum class etc.
Mutation
Small permanent change in the DNA of an organism
Species
Taxonomic group, allocated two (genus and specific) names; only members of the same species can produce fertile offspring when mating under natural conditions
Genus
Classification category between family and species: first part of the scientific name of an organism
Family
Subdivision of an order in the classification of living things
Order
Subdivision of a class in the classification of living things
Class
One of the groups used in the classification of organism consisting of a number of orders, for example animals in class Mammalia all share specific characteristics
Phylum
Major classification group of the animal kingdom
Division
Major classification group of the plants, fungi and plant-like protists
KIngdom
A subdivision of a domain; group of organisms with very general common features
Domain
Broadest taxonomic group
Binomial nomenclature
method of naming species of organisms with two parts: the generic and specific names, e.g. Eucalyptus crebra
specific name
the descriptive name of the species
extremophiles
organisms that live in extreme environments
reproductive isolation
the inability of different populations or species to successfully interbreed due to behavioural, structural, or physiological features of the organisms
Hybrid
offspring resulting from a cross between parents that are genetically different, for example two closely related species or varieties in species.
apomixis
asexual reproduction
parthenogenesis
reproduction from an ovum without fertilisation in animals
variety
a group that distinctly differs from other varieties within the species, for example a poodle and a Great Dane
subspecies
a rank immediately below a species; a population that is genetically distinguishable from other populations of the same species in a particular geographical region, capable of interbreeding successfully where ranges overlap
race
one group of the population that is genetically different from other groups as a result of having a different range
diagnostic features
any feature used to separate in the classification of organisms
homologous structures
similar structures with slightly different functions that indicate shared ancestry
divergent evolution
evolution that leads to descendants becoming different in form from their common ancestor
analogous structures
structures with a similar function but no structural relationship
convergent evolution
the independent development of similarities between species as a result of having similar ecological roles and selection pressures
vestigial structures
a structure with no apparent function, but which may have had a function in an ancestral species
embryology
growth and development of zygote until birth
geographic distribution
the natural range of the various forms of animals and plants in the different regions and localities of the earth
phylogeny
the evolutionary history of a kind of organism
cladistics
a method of grouping organisms that uses evolutionary lines of descent rather than structural similarities
shared characteristic
a feature that all members of a group have in common
derived characteristic
a feature that sets members of that clad apart from other individuals
cladogram
a branching diagram showing the evolutionary relationships between a number of species
cladogenesis
the making of a clade by means of an ancestor species evolving into two or several new species
plesiomorphy
an ancestral characteristic or trait that is shared by two or more taxa
apomorphy
a specialised trait or characteristic that is unique to a group or species
clade
a group of organisms that is believed to comprise a common ancestor and all of its evolutionary descendants
karyotype
the number of chromosomes in the cell nuclei of an organism or species
molecular analysis
a branch of biochemistry in which the molecular basis of biological activity of molecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins is studied
molecular clock
a technique that uses mutation rate to deduce when two mor more life forms diverged
immunological difference
the degree of difference between two proteins
DNA-hybridisation
a technique that measures the degree of genetic similarity between the DNA sequences of different individuals
Mitochondrial DNA
a double stranded DNA molecule found only in mitochondria’ in most eukaryotes is circular and maternally inherited
dichotomous key
identification key with only two alternatives at each stage
Abiotic
features that include climate, soil and geography
Optimal Range
the level an abiotic factor at which an organism will best survive
physiological stress
the inability of an organism to function at maximum as a result of some factor
tolerance range
the range of a particular abiotic factor within which an organism can survive
Biotic
the living components in the environment
Species diversity
a measure of the number of species found in a community, compared with the number of individuals
monoculture
a system that has very low diversity; in agriculture, it describes the practice of growing a single type of crop
species richness
a measure of the number of species present and the evenness of species in relation to one another
Simpson’s Index (D)
the probability that the two individuals randomly selected from a sample will belong to the same species (or genus or family, etc.)
Simpson’s Diversity Index (SDI)
the probability that two individuals randomly selected from a sample will belong to different species (or groups)
Zonation
the breaking of the biome into habitat zones
stratification
the division of the physical environment into smaller components for sampling
random sampling
a method of selecting a sample from a total array in such a way that every possible sample that could be selected has an equal chance of being selected
foliage cover
an estimate of the area or percentage of a sample site occupied by the natural spread or plant foliage
plot
an area under investigation - generally a subset of a larger area
quadrat
a rectangular or square plot or known dimensions
quadrant
each of four quarters of a circle
transect
a measured length or strip of terrain in an environment along which individual organisms or environmental parameters are measured and recorded
belt transect
an elongated area of known length and width through a particular environment in which specific community parameters are measured and recorded
profile
slope of the terrain, position and height of vegetation types and canopy cover
plan sketch
an aerial view showing position and canopy cover of species
line intercepts
a sampling technique used to estimate relative densities of a species by counting the number of individuals that lie on a straight line cutting through the community
strip census
an estimate of the numbers of a wild animals in an area by counting individuals along a typical strip and assuming a uniform population
Berlese-Tullgren funnel
a device used to extract small animals from a leaf litter
pit-fall trap
a device used to trap small animals that are active on the ground surface
capture-recapture
method of estimating population density of animals are captures, marked and released; their proportion in subsequent trapping allows estimation of population size
Lincoln Index (N)
a method used to estimate the size of closed populations in which random samples of the population are captured, marked and released to mingle with the general population for a period of time before subsequent trapping
Ecology
The study of relationships between organisms and their environment
Environment
the conditions (biotic and abiotic) in which an organism lives
Biosphere
the part of the earth that supports life
Habitat
a specific location, with a particular set of biotic and abiotic conditions; where an organism normally lives
population
number of individuals of a species living in a particular place at a particular kind
Community
all the species that occupy a particular place at a given time
ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
niche
a species role and position in its environment; a species interaction with the biotic and abiotic factors of its environment
abiotic
the non-living physical factors that affect an organism’s ability to ability to survive
Producer
(autotrophic) organism forming the base of all food chains; converts simple organic chemicals into complex organic molecules (food)
consumer
organism that eats another living organism (or part of an organism) for nutrition
heterotroph
an organism that eats other living organisms
herbivore
plant-eating organism
carnivore
meat-eating organism
omnivore
an organism that can utilise a range of nutrients; both herbivorous and carnivorous
detritivore
an organism that feeds on detritus
decomposer
an organism that utilises dead organisms or wate matter for its nutrients, releasing simple inorganic molecules
intraspecific
within a species; between individuals of the same species
