Chapter 11 Flashcards
What is natural selection? When does it occur?
an inevitable outcome of three principles that operate in nature. (the characteristics/traits of organisms are passed doen from parent to offspring.
More offspring than can survive. (competition for resources)
Offspring vary among each other with regard to their traits and those variations are inherited)
What is macroevolution
The process that gives rise to new species with widely divergent characters over time.
What is microevolution?
The gradual change in the genetic makeup of a population overtime due to natural selection.
Define population genetics?
The study of genetic differences between and within populations that occur due to evolutionary processes such as natural selection.
What are the different forms of evidence for evolution?
homolagous structures, vestigial structures, fossils, analagous structures, embryology, molecular biology
Define allopatric speciation?
Speciation due to the geographic separation of populations from a parent species and subsequent evolution
Define sympatric speciation
Speciation that occurs within a species while remaining in the same location
What are some misconceptions of evolution?
Eveloution is just a theory, individuals evolve, evolution explains the origin of life, organisms evolve on purpose, and evolution is controversial among scientists.
What is the biological definition of species?
a group of actually or potentially interbreeding individuals
What are vestigial structures?
Structures which once had a function, but no longer do
What does the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium state?
A population’s allel and genotypic frequencies are inherently stable unless some evolutionary force is acting upon the population.
What is adaptation?
any heritable trait that aids the survival and reproduction of an organism in its present evironment
