Biology 1009 Final Exam Study guide questions Flashcards
describes a change in 1 or more heritable characteristics of a population from 1 generation to the next.
Biological evolution
a group of related organisms that share a distinctive form.
Species
diversity in gene frequencies
gene variation
Genetic variation can refer to….
differences between individuals or to differences between populations.
the ultimate source of genetic variation, but mechanisms such as sexual reproduction and genetic drift contribute to it as well.
Mutation
Sources of genetic variations…
random gene mutations, duplications, and horizontal gene transfer
individuals with heritable traits that make them better suited to their native environment tend to flourish and reproduce.
Natural selection
Sources of natural selection
genetic drift, migration, and nonrandom mating may alter allele and genotype frequencies and cause a population to evolve.
Genetic composition and characteristics may change as a result of…
natural selection
Certain traits that factor reproductive success become….
more prevalent in a population over time.
Observations of evolutionary change:
Fossil record, biogeography, convergent evolution, analogous structures, selective breeding, homologies, vestigal structures
provide evidence of evolutionary change in a series of related organisms.
fossil record
study of the geographic distribution of extinct and living species.
Biogeography
2 species from different lineages have independently evolved similar characteristics because they occupy similar environments.
convergent evolution
characteristics have been arisen independently, 2 or more times, because different species have occupied similar types of environments on Earth.
Analogous structures/convergent traits
Programs and procedures designed to modify traits in domesticated species.
selective breeding- (artificial selection)
Underlying cause of phenotypic variation is typically due to different alleles.
selective breeding- (artificial selection)
similarity that occurs due to descent from a common ancestor.
Homologies
such as the set of bones in the forelimbs of vertebrates.
Homologous structures
structures that were functional in the past but no longer have a useful function in modern species)
Vestigial structures
When can homologies be seen
during embryonic development and at the molecular development.
a group of individuals of the same species that occupy the same environment and organisms can interbreed with one another.
Population
Population may change in…
size and geographic location from generation to generation.
As size and location of a population change, so does its …
genetic composition.