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Evolution
is change, either in genetic makeup of a single species, or in global species composition resulting from losses (extinctions) and additions (speciation) over time.
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Natural selection
The mechanism for change in evolution based on a theory developed by Charles Darwin.
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Artificial Selection
The selection pressure that humans impose on domestic animals and plants through selective breeding.
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Diverged
changed genetically in one or more ways.
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Convergence
When two plants look similar but come from very different evolutionary origins. This makes plant species identification more difficult.
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Hybridization
When two species produce viable offspring.
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Taxonomy
The science of identification and classification, and has traditionally relied on morphological and anatomical structures to distinguish between species and larger groups of species.
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Molecular genetic analysis
Recent advances in this have resulted in a taxonomic revolution and many interrelationships among, or names of, species are being re-evuated
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Published flora
Books on the morphological and anatomical structures to identify plants.
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Phylogeny
Refers to the hierarchical evolutionary relationships among species. This hierarchy reflects that degree of relatedness, and decreases from the most general "kingdom" to the most specific "subspecies|.
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Dichotomous key
Is often used to separate a general group into two more specific groups
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Couplet
A dual grouping within a dichotomous key, which has either a number to direct you to the next couplet, or a name.
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