biology evolutilogy Flashcards
5 Evidences of evolution
Fossils, Homologous Structures, Embryology, Vestigial Structures, Molecular Biology
Biological evolution
Change of population of organisms over generations
Radiometric dating
The breaking down of naturally occurring radioactive materials in other materials at known rates
Homologous structures
When very different animals have bones that appear very similar in form, but have different functions
Vestigial Structures
A feature that was useful to an ancestor, but they are not useful to the modern organism that has them
Natural selection
Process by which organisms best suited to their environment reproduces more successfully than other organisms
Coevolution
Process in which two or more species evolve in response to changes in each other
Population
All the members of a species that live in the same area and make up a breeding group
Niche
the role a species plays in its habitat
Population genetics
amount of genetic variation in a population
Gene pool
Describes the total genetic information that exists in a population
Allele frequency
The total amount of that allele in a population
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium
Situations in which allele frequencies remain constant
Allele
One of a series of different forms of the same gene on the same spot on a chromosome
