Chapter 18&19 Flashcards

Front 1

Species

Back 1

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial

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Homologies

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A degree of similarity, as in position or structure, and that may indicate a common origin; a correspondence of structure

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Binomial Nomenclature

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is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages.

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Eubacteria

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a bacterium of a large group typically having simple cells with rigid cell walls and often flagella for movement. The group comprises the “true” bacteria and cyanobacteria, as distinct from archaebacteria.

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Archaea

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microorganisms that are similar to bacteria in size and simplicity of structure but radically different in molecular organization. They are now believed to constitute an ancient intermediate group between the bacteria and eukaryotes.

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Protista

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made up of eukaryotic, unicellular organisms. Members of Protista now belong to the kingdom Protoctista, a new classification in most modern taxonomic systems.

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Fungi

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any of a group of unicellular, multicellular, or syncytial spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including molds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.

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Plantae

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Plants, also called green plants, are multicellular eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. They form a clade that includes the flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms, ferns, clubmosses, hornworts, liverworts, mosses and the green algae

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Animalia

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multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia (also called Metazoa). Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their lives. All animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently, at some point in their lives. All animals are heterotrophs

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Clade

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a group of organisms believed to have evolved from a common ancestor, according to the principles of cladistics.

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Coevolution

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the influence of closely associated species on each other in their evolution.

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Adaptation

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a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.

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Speciation

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the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.

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Geographic isolation

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The separation of two populations of the same species or breeding group by a physical barrier, such as a mountain or body of water. Geographical isolation may ultimately lead to the populations becoming separate species by adaptive radiation

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Adaptive Radiation

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the diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches.

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Common Ancestor

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In biology, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of any set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all organisms in a group are directly descended. The term is often applied to human genealogy.

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Stasis

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a period or state of inactivity or equilibrium.

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Gradualism

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the hypothesis that evolution proceeds chiefly by the accumulation of gradual changes (in contrast to the punctuationist model).

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Punctuated equilibrium

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the hypothesis that evolutionary development is marked by isolated episodes of rapid speciation between long periods of little or no change.