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Evolution
Pre AP Evolution
Question | Answer |
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Common Ancestor | the most recent ancestral form or species from which to different species evolved |
Fossil Record | a term used by paleontologists to refer to the total number of fossils tha have been discovered, as well as the information derived from them |
Biogeography | study of the geographical distribution of living things |
Anatomical Homologies | morphological (form or structure) or physiological (function) similarities between different species |
Molecular Homologies | genes shared due to common ancestry (may be studied as proteins or amino acid sequences) |
Developmental Homologies | study of embryological developmentof living species that provides clues to the evolution of present-day organisms |
Natural Selection | Individuals with variations in traits that are more suited to their environment will survive to produce more offspring than other individuals. The favorable traits are passed on to later generations. |
Adaptations | any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fit to survive and multiply |
Biodiversity | degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem |
Evolutionary mechansisms | mutation, migration (gene flow), genetic drift, and natural selection |
Genetic Drift | the change in frequency of a gene variant (allele) in a population due to random sampling |
Gene flow | the transfer of alleles of genes from one population to another |
mutation | a permanent change in the DNA sequence of a which alters the amino acid sequence of the protein |
evolution | a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations. Occurs in a population; not an individual |
artificial selection | Human intervention in animal or plant reproduction to ensure that certain desirable traits are represented in successive generations |
vestigial structure | refers to an organ or part (for example, the human appendix) which is greatly reduced from the original ancestral form and is no longer functional or is of reduced or altered function |
homology | A state of similarity in structure and anatomical position but not necessarily in function between different organisms indicating common ancestry or evolutionary origin |
analogy | Structural or behavioural similarity in terms of functions between unrelated species or organisms but do not share a common ancestral or developmental origin |
Differential Reproductive Success | individuals in a population do not have equal chances of reproducing successfully |
variation | differences in traits (alleles) among organisms |
heredity | alleles for traits are passed from one generation to the next |
phylogeny | The evolutionary development of a species. Describes common ancestry. |
converegent evolution | A kind of evolution where organisms evolve structures that have similar structures or functions in spite of their evolutionary ancestors being very dissimilar or unrelated |
divergent evolution | The process by which an interbreeding population or species diverges into two or more descendant species, resulting in once similar or related species to become more and more dissimilar |
geographical isolation | The physical separation of members of a population. Populations may be physically separated when their original habitat becomes divided. Limits a population's ability to move freely. Example: when new land or water barriers form. |
directional selection | Directional selection is a type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over the average or other extreme. |
disruptive selection | Disruptive selection is a type of natural selection that selects against the average individual in a population; rare |
stabilizing selection | type of natural selection that favors the average individuals in a population. |
speciation | The evolutionary formation of new biological species, usually by the division of a single species into two or more genetically distinct ones |