Ch20n : development of evolutionary thinking Flashcards
biological evolution
the process by which some individuals in a population experience changes in their DNA and pass those modified instructions to their offsprings
natural history
the branch of biology that examines the form and variety of organisms in their natural environments
natural theology
a belief that knowledge of god may be acquired through the study of natural phenomena
taxonomy
the science of the classification of organisms into an ordered system that indicates natural relationships
biogeography
the study of the geographical distributions of plants and animals
morphology
the form/shape of an organism
vestigial structures + 2 ex
an anatomical feature of living organisms that no longer retain its ancestral function e.g. our coccyx or the fact that pigs have 2 toes that never touch the ground
fossil
the remain/traces of an organism of a past geologic age embedded and preserved in Earth’s crust
paleobiology
the study of ancient organisms
catastrophism
the theory that Earth has been affected by sudden, violent events that were sometimes worldwide in scope
gradualism
the view that Earth and its living systems changed slowly over its history
uniformitarianism
the concept that the geological processes that sculpted Earth’s surface over long period of times- such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, erosion, and the formation and movement of glaciers- are exactly the same as the processes observed today
artificial selection
selective breeding of organisms to ensure that certain favorable/desirable traits appear at higher frequencies in successive generations
natural selection
the evolutionary process by which alleles that increase the likelihood of survival and the reproductive output of the individual that carry them become more common in subsequent generations
adaptive trait
a genetically based characteristic preserved by natural selection, that increases an organism’s likelihood of survival and its reproductive output
evolutionary divergence
a process whereby natural selection or genetic drift causes populations to become more different over time
descent with modification
biological evolution