Evolution Flashcards
What is evolution?
Evolution is the process by which populations of organisms change over generations due to changes in heritable traits.
What is natural selection?
Natural selection is a process by which organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive. Over a period of time passing those traits down onto offspring naturally assimulates those not fitted to survive out
What is overproduction?
more offspring that can survive
What is survival of the fittest?
Competition
Due to the excess off spring produced there becomes limited resources available, whoever is fittest will survive
Who is credited with developing the theory of natural selection?
Charles Darwin
What is adaptation?
Adaptation is the process by which a species becomes better suited to its environment so it can survive
What is gene flow/migration?
occurs when individuals from different populations interbreed, introducing new genetic material into a population
What is mutation?
Mutation is a change in the DNA sequence of an organism’s genome. Mutations can introduce new genetic variations that can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful to the organism.
What is speciation?
Speciation is the process by which one species splits into two or more distinct species.
What are homologous structures?
body parts that are similar in different species because they were inherited from a common ancestor. (eg. limbs of humans, bats, and whales)
What are analogous structures?
body parts that perform similar functions in different species but do not share a common evolutionary origin. (eg. wings of birds, insects)
What is artificial selection?
the process by which humans intentionally breed organisms with desirable traits. (eg. breeding dogs)
What is divergence?
The process where two or more related species become more not similar over time, this happens when they adapt to different environmental conditions or ecological niches, leading to the development of distinct traits.
What are geographical barriers?
keep populations physically separated
What are biological barriers?
keep species with overlapping breeds from interbreeding
Who is Jean-Baptiste Lamarck?
proposed that acquired characteristics (changes developed during an organism’s life) could be inherited by offspring.(e.g., giraffes stretch their necks to reach food, and their offspring inherit longer necks).
Who is Comte de Buffon?
Buffon proposed that species were created but could change and adapt over time
Who is Georges Cuvier?
French naturalist and palaeontologist. established extinction as a scientific concept.
What is catastrophism? And what scientist made this theory?
Curvier
catastrophism is the idea that the Earth’s history has been shaped by a series of catastrophic events. This view opposed gradual evolution and suggested that species were not always stable.
Who is Charles Lyell?
Earth was shaped by slow, gradual processes, such as erosion and sedimentation, rather than by catastrophic events.
What is adaptive radiation?
Adaptive radiation is the rapid evolution of many species from a common ancestor to fill various ecological niches. It often occurs after a species colonizes a new environment with diverse habitats.
What is gradualism in the context of evolution?
Gradualism is the idea that evolution occurs slowly and steadily over long periods of time through the accumulation of small, incremental changes.
What is punctuated equilibrium?
suggests that evolution happens in rapid bursts followed by long periods of stability.
What is Convergent Evolution?
Development of similar characteristics in response to similar environments
What is Biogeography?
Is the study of the geographical distribution of organisms
What is Continental Drift?
over time the continents drift due to platelets moving
What 5 things cause natural selection?
overproduction
competition
variation
survival of the fittest
speciation
