7-1 Vocab Flashcards
Vestigial Structures
A feature of an organism that is a historical remnant of a structure that served a function in the organism’s ancestors
Biogeography
The scientific study of the past and present geographic distributions of species
Endemic
Referring to a species that is confined to a specific geographic area
Convergent Evolution
The evolution of similar features in independent evolutionary lineages
Homology
Similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry
Artificial Selection
The selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the occurrence of desirable traits
Analogous
Having characteristics that are similar because of convergent evolution, not homology
Evolution
Descent with modification; the process by which species accumulate differences from their ancestors as they adapt to different environments over time; also defined as a change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation
Homologous Structures
Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry; these similar structures may or may not have similar functions
Natural Selection
A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits
Strata
A rock layer formed when new layers of sediment cover older ones and compress them
Adaptations
Inherited characteristic of an organism that enhances its survival and reproduction in a specific environment
Paleontology
The scientific study of fossils
Systematics
A scientific discipline focused on classifying organisms and determining their evolutionary relationships
Shared Ancestral Character
A character that is shared by members of a particular clade but that originated in an ancestor that is not a member of that clade
Maximum Parsimony
A principle that states that when considering multiple explanations for an observation, one should first investigate the simplest explanation that is consistent with the facts
Phylogeny
The evolutionary history of a species or group of related species
Sister Taxa
Groups of organisms that share an immediate common ancestor and hence are each other’s closest relatives
Clades
A group of species that includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants
Phylogenetic Tree
A branching diagram that represents a hypothesis about the evolutionary history of a group of organisms
