Classification and phylogenyAQA A-Level Biology: Mind map

Exam questions on Classification and phylogeny

1. A zoologist is classifying big cats. She records the lion as Panthera leo, the tiger as Panthera tigris and the domestic cat as Felis catus. Each of these three species has been placed in a hierarchy of taxa.
   Suggest what the classification tells you about the evolutionary relationships between the lion, the tiger and the domestic cat.2 marks
2. A zoologist is cataloguing mammals from several countries. The common names of the same animal differ between languages. For example, the grey wolf is called 'wolf' in English, 'Wolf' in German and 'loup' in French, but all scientists refer to it as Canis lupus.
   State the genus and the species of the grey wolf, and explain why a species cannot be placed in two different genera in the hierarchy.2 marks
3. Three species of beetle, P, Q and R, are placed in a phylogenetic classification. P and Q are in the same family but in different genera. R is in the same order as P and Q, but in a different family. A fourth species, S, is placed in the same genus as P.
   Of the three species P, Q and R only, use the information to deduce which two are the most closely related and which is the least closely related to the other two, and explain your answer.3 marks