Evolution Review Flashcards
Study of past and present distribution of organisms
Biogeography
Change over time; the process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms
Evolution
Heritable characteristic that increases an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in an environment
Adaptation
Separation of a species or population so that they no longer interbreed and evolve into two separate species
Reproductive Isolation
Random change in allele frequency caused by a series of chance occurrences that cause an allele to become more or less common in a population
Genetic Drift
Structure that is inherited from ancestors but has lost much or all of its original function
Vestigial structure
Selective breeding of plants and animals to promote the occurrence of desirable traits in offspring
Artificial Selection
Form of natural selection in which individuals at one end of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals in the middle or at the other end of the curve
Directional selection
The movement of genes into or out of a population
Gene Flow
Form of reproductive isolation in which two populations are separated by geographic barriers such as rivers, mountains, or bodies of water, leading to the formation of two separate subspecies
Geographic Isolation
Form of natural selection in which individuals near the center of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals at either end of the curve
Stabilizing selection
Similar structures that are shared by related species that have been inherited from a common ancestor
Homologous structure
How well an organism can survive and reproduce in its environment
Fitness
Natural selection in which individuals at the upper and lower ends of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals near the middle of the curve
Disruptive Selection
Number of times that an allele occurs in a gene pool as a percentage of the total occurrence of all alleles for that gene in that gene pool
Allele Frequency
Form of reproductive isolation in which two populations develop differences in courtship rituals or other behaviors that prevent them from breeding
Behavioral Isolation
Change in allele frequencies as a result of the migration of a small subgroup of a population
Founder Effect
Situation in which allele frequencies in a population remain the same
Genetic Equilibrium
Form of reproductive isolation in which two or more species reproduce at different times
Temporal Isolation
All the genes, including all alleles for each gene, that are present in a population
Gene Pool
When individuals select mates based on heritable traits
Sexual Selection
Body parts that share a common function, but not structure
Analogous structure
Formation of a new species
Speciation
Process by which organisms that are most suited to their environment survive and reproduce
Natural Selection
