Chapter 15 Flashcards
Macroevolution
Encompasses more dramatic biological changes
Biological species concept
Defines a species as a population or group of populations whose members have the ability to Breed with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring
Speciation
The origin of new species
Reproductive isolation
Some kind of barrier keeping two species from interbreeding
Four examples of reproductive breeding
Timing
Behavior
Habitat
Incompatible reproductive structures
Geographic isolation
Separation of populations as a result of geographic change or dispersal to geographically isolated places
Adaptive radiation
Evolution from a common ancestor that results in diverse species adapted to different environment.
Punctuated equilibrium
Species often diverge in spurts of relatively rapid change
Embryology
The study of the processes of multicellular organisms as they develop from fertilized eggs to fully formed organisms.
Geologic time scale
Organizes earths history into three distinct ages known as the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic
Radio metric dating
Based on the measurement of certain radioactive isotopes in objects
Half life
The number of years it takes for 50 percent of the original sample to decay
Continental drift
Land masses on different plates changing position
Mass extinction
Brief episodes of great species loss
Taxonomy
Identification, naming, and classification of species
