Biology Unit 1 Vocabulary

The organic processes (in a cell or organism) that are necessary for life

The ability for a living organism to maintain a stable internal environment

The production of offspring from the combination of genetic material from two parent organisms

The production of organisms that does not require the union of gametes
when an parent produces offspring that are identical to the parent

The number of variety of organisms in a given area during a specific period of time

The amount of genetic variation within a population or species

When organisms in a small population breed with relatives, causing low genetic diversity which makes them more susceptible to diseases and extinction.

A method that biologists use to group and categorize organisms by biological type

The science of grouping organisms according to their presumed evolutionary relationships

Systematic taxonomy; taxonomic organization of living things in the context of evolution

All the changes that have formed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity that characterizes it today.

The evolutionary history of a species or a taxonomic group

A branching diagram or "tree" showing the inferred evolutionary relationships among various biological species or other entities based upon similarities and differences in their physical and/or genetic characteristics.

A system of phylogenetic classification using shared derived characters and the recency of ancestry is the sole criterion for grouping taxa

A tree diagram used to illustrate phylogenetic relationships