03. Definitions Flashcards
Evolution
the long-term adaptive process spanning generations, that equips each species for life in its ever changing natural habitat
Structural proteins
form the structure of every cell of the body
enzymes
control the rate of every chemical reaction in every cell
Coding genes
code for unique protein molecules
Regulatory genes
work through various biological means to help activate or suppress specific coding genes and thereby influence the body’s development.
Environment
every aspect of an individual and his or her surroundings except the genes themselves
Genotype
refers to the set of genes that the individual inherits
Phenotype
refers to the observable properties of the body and behavioural traits
Mitosis
Cell division to produce new cells (other than egg or sperm cells). Each chromosome precisely replicates itself.
Meiosis
when cells divide to produce an egg or sperm cell, cells are not genetically alike
Zygote
The result of a sperm and egg cell uniting (each is unique)
Monozygotic twins (identical twins)
Twins from one zygote
Fraternal twins
Dizygotic twins, originate from two zygotes. As genetically similar as non-twin siblings
Homozygous
Identical genes occupying the same locus on a pair of chromosomes
Heterozygous
non-identical genes which occupy the same locus on a pair of chromosomes
Alleles
Different genes that can occupy the same locus and thus can potentially pair with each other
Dominant gene
A gene which will produce its observable effects in either the homozygous or heterozygous condition
Recessive gene
A gene which will produce its effects only in the homozygous condition.
Normal distribution
most scores fall near the middle of the range and the frequency tapers off toward the two extremes
Polygenic charactersitics
Are characteristics that vary in a continuous way and are generally affected by many genes
Selective breeding
This procedure involves the mating of individuals that lie toward the same extreme on the measure in question. For single-gene characteristics the effects of selective breeding are immediate, but for polygenic characteristics the effects are gradual and cumulative over generations.
Epigenetics
“changes in gene function that do not alter its underlying structure of DNA but result in genes being switched on or off in a reversible way”
Artificial selection
Used by Darwin to refer to human-controlled selective breeding
Mutations
Are errors that occasionally and unpredictably occur during DNA replication, causing the “replica” to be not quite identical to the original
Environmental change spurs evolution by…
promoting natural selection
naturalistic fallacy
The mistaken belief that whatever is natural (and particularly whatever is a product of natural selection) is right, good, or moral.
Functionalism
the attempt to explain behaviour in terms of what it accomplishes for the behaving individual.
Distal explanations (of behaviour)
Are explanations at the evolutionary level. They are statements of how the behaviour helped the individual’s ancestor’s genes make it into the next generation. Distal causation is sometimes referred to as ultimate causation.
Proximate explanations (of behaviour)
Are explanations that deal not with function but with mechanism; they are statements of the immediate conditions, both inside and outside the animal, that elicit the behaviour.
vestigial characteristics
Are traits that evolved because they served the needs of our ancestors but are no longer functional today, yet they remain.
Adaptation
In evolutionary theory, universal and reliably developing inherited feature that arose as a result of natural selection and helped to solve some problem of survival. (e.g. umbilical cord)
Genetic drift
mutations, due to chance alone, which are inconsequent to survival (such as different nose shapes)
Species typical behaviours
characteristic ways of behaving for each species of animal, commonly called instinct
Genetic determinism
The idea that genes “determine” behaviour
Homology
Any similarity that exists because of the different species’ common ancestry (the more closely two species are, the more homologies they show)
Analogy
any similarity that stems not from common ancestry but from convergent evolution- when different species, because of similarity habitats or lifestyles independently evolve a common characteristic
Polygyny
one male mates with more than one female
Polyandry
One female mates with more than one male
Monogamy
one female mates with one male
Promiscuity
more than one male and more than one female mate with each other within the same group
Parental investment
the time energy and risk to survival that are involved in producing, feeding, and otherwise caring for each offspring
