Evolution

Question 1

evolution

Answer 1

descent with modification, change in genetic composition of a population from generation to generation

Question 2

descent of modification

Answer 2

passing off of traits from parent organisms to their offspring

Question 3

speciation

Answer 3

process in which one species splits into two or more species

Question 4

genetic drift

Answer 4

process in which chance events cause unpredictable fluctuations in allele frequencies from one generation to the next, effects are most pronounced in small populations

Question 5

bottleneck

Answer 5

genetic drift that occurs when the size of a population is reduced by a natural disaster or human actions, typically the surviving population is no longer genetically representative of the original population

Question 6

gene flow

Answer 6

transfer of alleles from one population to another, resulting from the movement of fertile individuals or their gametes

Question 7

migration

Answer 7

a regular, long-distance change in location

Question 8

mutation

Answer 8

change in the nucleotide sequence of an organism’s DNA, ultimately creating genetic diversity, can also occur in the DNA or RNA of a virus

Question 9

natural selection

Answer 9

a process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics

Question 10

variation

Answer 10

differences between members of the same species

Question 11

heritability

Answer 11

statistic used in breeding and genetics works that estimates how much variation in a phenotypic trait in a population is due to genetic variation among individuals in that population

Question 12

reproductive success

Answer 12

passing of genes onto the next generation in a way that they too can pass on those genes

Question 13

adaptation

Answer 13

inherited characteristic of an organism that enhances its survival and reproduction in specific environments

Question 14

sexual selection

Answer 14

a form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates

Question 15

coevolution

Answer 15

the change of a biological object triggered by the change of a related object

Question 16

convergent evolution

Answer 16

evolution of similar features in independent evolutionary lineages

Question 17

divergent evolution

Answer 17

accumulation of differences between groups which can lead to the formation of new species, usually a result of diffusion of the same species to different and isolated environments which blocks the gene flow among the distinct populations

Question 18

parallel evolution

Answer 18

development of a similar trait in related, but distinct, species descending from the same ancestor, but from different clades

Question 19

allopatric speciation

Answer 19

formation of a new species in populations that are geographically isolated from one another

Question 20

sympatric speciation

Answer 20

formation of new species in populations that live in the same geographic area

Question 21

polyploidy

Answer 21

chromosomal alteration in which the organism possesses more than two complete chromosome sets, it is the result of an accidental cell division

Question 22

balanced polymorphism

Answer 22

two different versions of a gene are maintained in a population of organisms because individuals carrying both versions are better able to survive than those who have two copies of either version alone

Question 23

adaptive radiation

Answer 23

period of evolutionary change in which groups of organisms form many new species whose adaptations allow them to fill vacant ecological roles in their communities

Question 24

homologues

Answer 24

having the same or allelic genes with genetic loci usually arranged in the same order

Question 25

embryology

Answer 25

branch of biology that studies the development of gametes

Question 26

vestigial

Answer 26

a structure of marginal, if any, importance to an organism

Question 27

macroevolution

Answer 27

evolutionary change above the species level, including the origin of a new group of organisms or a shift in the broad pattern of evolutionary change over a long period of time

Question 28

microevolution

Answer 28

evolutionary change below the species level, change in the allele frequencies in a population over generations

Question 29

punctuated equilibria

Answer 29

in the fossil record, long periods of apparent stasis, in which a species undergoes little or no morphological change, interrupted by relatively brief periods of sudden change