Chapter 1: How Scientists Study Evolution

Question 1

biological evolution

Answer 1

is any change in the inherited traits of a population that occurs from one generation to the next

Question 2

lineage

Answer 2

a chain of ancestors and their descendant

Question 3

natural selection

Answer 3

a mechanism that can lead to evolution, whereby differential survival or reproduction of individuals causes some genetic types to replace others

Question 4

convergent evolution

Answer 4

the independent origin of similar traits in separate lineages

Question 5

homologous

Answer 5

characteristics that are similar in two or more species because they are inherited from a common ancestor

Question 6

synapomorphy

Answer 6

a derived form of a trait that is shared by a group of related species (ex: one that evolved in the immediate common ancestor of the group and was inherited by all its descendents)

Question 7

phylogeny

Answer 7

a visual representation of the evolutionary history of populations, genes, or species

Question 8

mutation

Answer 8

any change to the genomic sequence of an organism

Question 9

reassortment

Answer 9

occurs in viruses when genetic material from different strains gets mixed into new combinations within a single individual

Question 10

genetic drift

Answer 10

evolution arising from random changes in the genetic composition of a population from one generation to the next

Question 11

phenotypes

Answer 11

measurable aspects of organisms, such as morphology (structure), physiology, and behavior. Genes interact with other genes and with the environment during the development of the phenotype

Question 12

microevolution

Answer 12

evolution occurring within populations, including adaptive and neutral changes in allele frequencies from one generation to the next

Question 13

macroevolution

Answer 13

evolution occurring above the species level, including the origination, diversification, and extinction of species over long periods of evolutionary time