Evolution Flashcards
What is genetic drift?
A mechanism of evolution that refers to random changes in allele frequencies in a population.
Example: A small population may experience significant changes in allele frequencies due to random events.
What is mutation?
A change in the DNA sequence that can lead to new traits in an organism.
What is a species?
A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
What is evolution?
The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.
What is a gene pool?
The complete set of genetic information within a population.
What are homologous structures?
Anatomical features in different species that share a common ancestry.
What is the founder effect?
A form of genetic drift that occurs when a small group from a population establishes a new population.
Example: A few individuals colonizing a new island may have different allele frequencies than the original population.
Who is Jean-Baptiste Lamarck?
A French naturalist known for his early theories on evolution, particularly the idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics.
What is adaptation?
The process by which a species becomes better suited to its environment.
What is macroevolution?
Evolutionary change on a large scale, typically involving the formation of new species.
What is microevolution?
Small-scale evolutionary changes within a species or population.
What is genetic equilibrium?
A state in which allele frequencies in a population remain constant over time.
What is artificial selection?
The process by which humans breed plants and animals for specific traits.
Who is Charles Darwin?
A naturalist known for his contributions to the understanding of evolution and natural selection.
What are vestigial organs?
Body parts that have lost their original function through evolution.
What is convergent evolution?
The process by which unrelated organisms evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures.
What is natural selection?
The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
What is speciation?
The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
What is reproductive isolation?
A condition that prevents different species from interbreeding.
What is a theory in science?
A well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world.
What is common descent?
The principle that all living organisms share a common ancestor.
What is relative frequency?
The proportion of a particular allele among all allele copies in a population.
What is a single-gene trait?
A trait controlled by a single gene.
What is a polygenic trait?
A trait controlled by multiple genes.
What is directional selection?
A type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over others.
What is stabilizing selection?
A type of natural selection that favors intermediate variants and acts against extreme phenotypes.
What is disruptive selection?
A type of natural selection that favors extreme phenotypes over intermediate ones.
What is the Hardy-Weinberg principle?
A principle that describes the genetic variation in a population that is not evolving.
What is behavioral isolation?
A form of reproductive isolation based on differences in mating behaviors.
What is geographic isolation?
A form of reproductive isolation that occurs when populations are separated by physical barriers.
What is temporal isolation?
A form of reproductive isolation that occurs when species breed at different times.
What is the fossil record?
The history of life as documented by fossils.
What does extinct mean?
A term used to describe a species that no longer exists.
What is radioactive dating?
A method used to determine the age of an object by measuring the amount of radioactive isotopes it contains.
What is mass extinction?
An event in which a large number of species die out in a relatively short period of time.
What is macroevolution?
Evolutionary change on a grand scale, leading to the emergence of new species.
What is adaptive radiation?
The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches.
What is convergent evolution?
The independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages.
What is coevolution?
The process by which two or more species influence each other’s evolutionary path.
What is punctuated equilibrium?
A theory in evolutionary biology that proposes that species evolve during short periods of rapid change.
What is the Anthropocene?
A proposed geological epoch that highlights the significant impact of human activity on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems.
What is genetic drift?
A mechanism of evolution that refers to random changes in allele frequencies in a population.
Example: A small population may experience significant changes in allele frequencies due to random events.
What is mutation?
A change in the DNA sequence that can lead to new traits in an organism.
What is a species?
A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
What is evolution?
The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.
What is a gene pool?
The complete set of genetic information within a population.
What are homologous structures?
Anatomical features in different species that share a common ancestry.
What is the founder effect?
A form of genetic drift that occurs when a small group from a population establishes a new population.
Example: A few individuals colonizing a new island may have different allele frequencies than the original population.
Who is Jean-Baptiste Lamarck?
A French naturalist known for his early theories on evolution, particularly the idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics.
What is adaptation?
The process by which a species becomes better suited to its environment.
What is macroevolution?
Evolutionary change on a large scale, typically involving the formation of new species.
What is microevolution?
Small-scale evolutionary changes within a species or population.
What is genetic equilibrium?
A state in which allele frequencies in a population remain constant over time.
What is artificial selection?
The process by which humans breed plants and animals for specific traits.
Who is Charles Darwin?
A naturalist known for his contributions to the understanding of evolution and natural selection.
What are vestigial organs?
Body parts that have lost their original function through evolution.
What is convergent evolution?
The process by which unrelated organisms evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures.
What is natural selection?
The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
What is speciation?
The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
What is reproductive isolation?
A condition that prevents different species from interbreeding.
What is a theory in science?
A well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world.
What is common descent?
The principle that all living organisms share a common ancestor.
What is relative frequency?
The proportion of a particular allele among all allele copies in a population.
What is a single-gene trait?
A trait controlled by a single gene.
What is a polygenic trait?
A trait controlled by multiple genes.
What is directional selection?
A type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over others.
What is stabilizing selection?
A type of natural selection that favors intermediate variants and acts against extreme phenotypes.
What is disruptive selection?
A type of natural selection that favors extreme phenotypes over intermediate ones.
What is the Hardy-Weinberg principle?
A principle that describes the genetic variation in a population that is not evolving.
What is behavioral isolation?
A form of reproductive isolation based on differences in mating behaviors.
What is geographic isolation?
A form of reproductive isolation that occurs when populations are separated by physical barriers.
What is temporal isolation?
A form of reproductive isolation that occurs when species breed at different times.
What is the fossil record?
The history of life as documented by fossils.
What does extinct mean?
A term used to describe a species that no longer exists.
What is radioactive dating?
A method used to determine the age of an object by measuring the amount of radioactive isotopes it contains.
What is mass extinction?
An event in which a large number of species die out in a relatively short period of time.
What is macroevolution?
Evolutionary change on a grand scale, leading to the emergence of new species.
What is adaptive radiation?
The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches.
What is convergent evolution?
The independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages.
What is coevolution?
The process by which two or more species influence each other’s evolutionary path.
What is punctuated equilibrium?
A theory in evolutionary biology that proposes that species evolve during short periods of rapid change.
What is the Anthropocene?
A proposed geological epoch that highlights the significant impact of human activity on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems.
