Chapter 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory

Question 1

Adaptive radiation

Answer 1

Diversification of an ancestral group of organisms into new forms that are adapted to specific environmental niches

Question 2

Allele

Answer 2

One or more alt. forms of a gene

Question 3

Blending inheritance

Answer 3

An outdated, falsified theory that the phenotype of an offspring was a uniform blend of the parents’ phenotypes

Question 4

Catastrophism

Answer 4

Asserts that cataclysmic events rather than, evolution, are responsible for geologic changes

Question 5

Chromosomes

Answer 5

Strand of DNA in the nucleus of eukaryotes that contain hundreds or thousands of genes

Question 6

Demography

Answer 6

Study of a population’s features and vital statistics (birthrate, death rate, population size, population density)

Question 7

Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA

Answer 7

DOuble-stranded molecule that provides genetic code, consisting of phosphate, deoxyribose sugar, and four types of nitrogen bases

Question 8

Dominant vs Recessive

Answer 8

Dominant allele is expressed and masks the recessive

Question 9

Endemic

Answer 9

Describes features natural to a given population or environment

Question 10

Epidemic

Answer 10

Outbreak of an infectious disease

Question 11

Evolutionary biology

Answer 11

Study of the process of change in organisms

Question 12

Evolutionary synthesis

Answer 12

A unified theory of evolution that combines genetics with natural selection

Question 13

Fossils

Answer 13

Physical remains of organisms that have become mineralized by the replacement of organic with inorganic materials

Question 14

Gemmules

Answer 14

Units of inheritance as proposed by Darwin, supposedly accumulated in the gametes so they could be passed on to offspring

Question 15

Gene flow

Answer 15

Exchange of alleles between two populations

Question 16

Genes

Answer 16

Basic unit of inheritance, a sequence of DNA on a chromosome, coded to produce a specific protein

Question 17

Genetic drift

Answer 17

Random change in allele frequency from one generation to the next, has greater impact on small populations

Question 18

Genomics

Answer 18

Branch of genetics that studies species’ genomes

Question 19

Genotype

Answer 19

Genetic makeup of an organism; the combo of alleles for a given gene

Question 20

Genus

Answer 20

Group of related species

Question 21

Geology

Answer 21

Study of Earth’s physical history

Question 22

Habitat

Answer 22

Where an organism lives

Question 23

Lamarckism

Answer 23

The false theory of evolution that stated that organisms could pass on features acquired during their lifetime

Question 24

Mendelian inheritance

Answer 24

Basic principles associated with genetic material’s transmission

Question 25

Mutation

Answer 25

Random change in a gene or chromosome, creating a new trait that may be advantageous, deleterious, or neutral in its effects on the organism

Question 26

Natural selection

Answer 26

Process by which some organisms, with adaptive features, preferentially survive and reproduce, thereby increasing the feature’s presence in the population

Question 27

Paleontology

Answer 27

The study of fossils

Question 28

Pandemic

Answer 28

Wide regional/global spread of infectious disease

Question 29

Pathogen

Answer 29

Microorganism that can cause disease

Question 30

Phenotype

Answer 30

Physical expression of a gene

Question 31

Population genetics

Answer 31

Focuses on the changes in gene frequencies and effects of those changes on adaption and evolution

Question 32

Species

Answer 32

Group of related organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile, viable offspring

Question 33

Systematics

Answer 33

Study and classification of living organisms to determine their evolutionary relationships with one another

Question 34

Taxonomy

Answer 34

Classification of organisms into a system that reflects degrees of relatedness

Question 35

Uniformitarianism

Answer 35

Theory that natural processes today are the same as they always were

Question 36

Virulence

Answer 36

The capacity of a pathogen to cause harm to its host (high = more likely)

Question 37

James Hutton

Answer 37

Calculated Earth’s age as millions of years & provided geologic evidence necessary for calculating time of span of evolution

Question 38

Charles Lyell

Answer 38

Rediscovered and reinforced Hutton’s ideas

Question 39

Robert Hooke

Answer 39

Proved that fossils are organisms’ remains

Question 40

Georges Cuvier

Answer 40

Extensively studied fossils, revealed variation in the fossil record

Question 41

John Ray

Answer 41

Pioneered taxonomy based on physical appearance

Question 42

Carolus Linnaeus

Answer 42

Wrote Systems of Nature, presented the binomial nomenclature taxonomy of plants and animals

Question 43

Thomas Malthus

Answer 43

Founded demography, provided the concept of characteristics advantageous for survival

Question 44

Jean-Baptise Lamarck

Answer 44

Lamarckism, provided first serious model of physical traits passing from parents to offspring

Question 45

Erasmus Darwin

Answer 45

Characteristics are acquired via inheritance