ANTH 1000 - Ch. 2

Question 1

primate

Answer 1

the group of mammals that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans

Question 2

mammal

Answer 2

the class of vertebrate animals distinguished by bodies covered with fur, self-regulating temperature, and, in females, milk-producing mammary glands

Question 3

species

Answer 3

the smallest working units in the system of classification. Among living organisms, ____ are populations or groups of populations capable of interbreeding and producing fertile viable offspring.

Question 4

genus (genera, pl.)

Answer 4

in the system of plant and animal classification, a group of like species.

Question 5

taxonomy

Answer 5

the science of classification

Question 6

analogies

Answer 6

in biology, structures possessed by different organisms that are superficially similar due to similar function, without sharing a common developmental pathway or structure

Question 7

homologies

Answer 7

in biology, structures possessed by two different organisms that arise in similar fashion and pass through similar stages during embryonic development through they may possess different functions

Question 8

notochord

Answer 8

a rodlike structure of cartilage that, in vertebrates, is replaced by the vertebral column

Question 9

natural selection

Answer 9

the evolutionary process through which factors in the environment exert pressure, favoring some individuals over others to produce the next generation

Question 10

gene

Answer 10

a portion of the DNA molecule containing a sequence of base pairs that is the fundamental physical and functional unit of heredity

Question 11

law of segregation

Answer 11

the Mendelian principle that varients of genes for a particular trait retain their separate identities through the generations

Question 12

law of independent assortment

Answer 12

the Mendelian principle that genes controlling different traits are inherited independently of one another

Question 13

chromosomes

Answer 13

in the cell nucleus, the structures visible during cellular division containing long strand of DNA combined with a protein

Question 14

DNA

Answer 14

Deoxyribonucleic acid. The genetic material consisting of a complex molecule whose base structure directs the synthesis of proteins

Question 15

chromatid

Answer 15

one half of the “X” shape of chromosomes visible once replication is complete. Sister _____ are exact copies of each other.

Question 16

codon

Answer 16

three-base sequence of a gene that specifies a particular amino acid for inclusion in a protein

Question 17

RNA

Answer 17

ribonucleic acid; similar to DNA but with uracil substituted for the base thymine. Transcribes and carries instructions from DNA from the nucleus to the ribosomes, where it directs protein synthesis. Some simple life forms contain RNA only.

Question 18

transcription

Answer 18

process of conversion of instructions from DNA into RNA

Question 19

ribosomes

Answer 19

structures in the cell where translation occurs

Question 20

translation

Answer 20

process of conversion of RNA instructions into proteins

Question 21

genetic code

Answer 21

the sequence of three bases (a codon) that specifies the sequence of amino acids in protein synthesis

Question 22

alleles

Answer 22

alternate forms of a single gene

Question 23

enzyme

Answer 23

protein that initiates and directs chemical reactions

Question 24

genome

Answer 24

the complete structure sequence of DNA for a species

Question 25

mitosis

Answer 25

a kind of cell division that produces new cells having exactly the same number of chromosome pairs, and hence copies of genes, as the parent cell.

Question 26

meiosis

Answer 26

a kind of cell division that produces the sex cells, each of which has half the number of chromosomes found in other cells of the organism

Question 27

homozygous

Answer 27

refers to a chromosome pair that bears identical alleles for a single gene.

Question 28

heterozygous

Answer 28

refers to a chromosome pair that bears different alleles for a single gene.

Question 29

genotype

Answer 29

the alleles possessed for a particular gene

Question 30

phenotype

Answer 30

the observable characteristic of an organism that may or may not reflect a particular genotype due to the variable expression of dominant and recessive alleles

Question 31

dominance

Answer 31

the ability of one allele for a trait to mask the presence of another allele

Question 32

recessive

Answer 32

an allele for a trait whose expression is masked by the presence of a dominant allele

Question 33

hemoglobin

Answer 33

the protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells

Question 34

polygenetic inheritance

Answer 34

when two or more genes contribute to the phenotypic expression of a single characteristic

Question 35

population

Answer 35

in biology, a group of similar individuals that can and do interbreed

Question 36

gene pool

Answer 36

all the genetic variants possessed by members of a population

Question 37

evolution

Answer 37

changes in allele frequencies in populations; also known as microevolution

Question 38

Hardy-Weinberg principle

Answer 38

demonstrates algebraically that the percentages of individuals that are homozygous for the dominant allele, homozygous for the recessive allel, and heterozygous should remain constant from one generation to the next, provided that certain specified conditions are met

Question 39

mutation

Answer 39

chance alteration of genetic material that produces new variation

Question 40

genetic drift

Answer 40

chance fluctuations of allele frequencies in the gene pool of a population

Question 41

founder effects

Answer 41

a particular form of genetic drift deriving from a small founding population not possessing all the alleles present in the original population

Question 42

gene flow

Answer 42

the introduction of alleles from the gene pool of one population into that of another

Question 43

adaptation

Answer 43

a series of beneficial adjustments to the environment

Question 44

reproductive success

Answer 44

the relative production of fertile offspring by a genotype. in practical terms, the number of offspring produced by individual members of a population is tallied and compared to that of others

Question 45

stabilizing selection

Answer 45

natural selection acting to promote stability rather than change in a population's gene pool

Question 46

sickle-cell anemia

Answer 46

an inherited form of anemia caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin protein that causes the red blood cells to assum a sickle shape.

Question 47

clines

Answer 47

gradual changes in the frequency of an allele or trait over space