AGRI 1005 : Study Guide Exam 2
Document Summary
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given species, environment/ecosystem, biome, or planet. Cladistics- method of describing and classifying organisms into groups based on characteristics. Taxon- any group of organisms (e. g. species, family, genera, etc. ) General requirement for a taxon is that it is monophyletic (sharing a common ancestor). Biological species concept: a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring: evolution: process by which diversity of life developed over time from common ancestors. Natural selection: individuals best suited to survive reproduce and pass on their genes. Ecological niche- relational position of different species or populations in its ecosystem to each other: describes how an organism responds to environment, resources and competitors and how it in turn, alters them, both biotic and abiotic factors. Niche construction: an organism alters the environment to improve survival. Extinction- the end of organism or group of organisms (taxon).
