Unit 4 List 1 Evolution

Question 1

amino acid sequencing

Answer 1

the process of identifying the arrangement of amino acids in proteins and peptides

Question 2

analogous structure

Answer 2

features of different species that are similar in function but not necessarily in structure and which do not derive from a common ancestral feature

Question 3

anatomy

Answer 3

a study of the structure or internal workings of something

Question 4

biochemical evidence

Answer 4

the use of molecular biology techniques to study the chemical processes and substances that occur within living organisms

Question 5

biogeography

Answer 5

the branch of biology that deals with the geographical distribution of plants and animals

Question 6

cladogram

Answer 6

a branching diagram showing the cladistic relationship between a number of species

Question 7

common ancestry

Answer 7

Ancestral organism shared by two or more descendent lineages

Question 8

descent with modification

Answer 8

the idea that species change over time, give rise to new species, and share a common ancestor

Question 9

DNA sequencing

Answer 9

the general laboratory technique for determining the exact sequence of nucleotides, or bases, in a DNA molecule

Question 10

electrophoresis

Answer 10

the movement of charged particles in a fluid or gel under the influence of an electric field

Question 11

embryo

Answer 11

an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of developmen

Question 12

embryology

Answer 12

a branch of biology dealing with embryos and their development

Question 13

evolutionary tree

Answer 13

a diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species

Question 14

fossil record

Answer 14

the remains or imprints of organisms from earlier geological periods preserved

Question 15

homologous structure

Answer 15

are physical features found in different organisms that share a common ancestor

Question 16

homology

Answer 16

the state of having the same or similar relation, relative position, or structure

Question 17

paleontology

Answer 17

the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants

Question 18

phenotypic similarity

Answer 18

a measure of functional redundancy within homologous gene families

Question 19

phylogeny

Answer 19

the branch of biology that deals with phylogenesis

Question 20

phylogenetic tree

Answer 20

a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or taxa during a specific time

Question 21

vestigial structures

Answer 21

a feature that a species inherited from an ancestor but that is now less elaborate and functional than in the ancestor

Question 22

sedimentary layers

Answer 22

a quantity or piece of it that covers a surface or that is between two other things

Question 23

adaptation

Answer 23

the action or process of adapting or being adapted

Question 24

behavior

Answer 24

the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others

Question 25

competition

Answer 25

the activity or condition of competing

Question 26

fitness

Answer 26

the condition of being physically fit and healthy

Question 27

gene pool

Answer 27

the stock of different genes in an interbreeding population

Question 28

genetic variation

Answer 28

the difference in DNA among individuals or the differences between populations among the same species

Question 29

geographic isolation

Answer 29

the physical separation of populations of organisms from one another due to geographical barriers

Question 30

morphology

Answer 30

the study of the forms of things

Question 31

natural selection

Answer 31

The theory of things dying because they do not have the best traits

Question 32

phenotypic expression

Answer 32

the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism

Question 33

physiology

Answer 33

the branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts

Question 34

population

Answer 34

all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country

Question 35

reproductive isolation

Answer 35

the inability of a species to breed successfully with related species due to geographical, behavioral, physiological, or genetic barriers or differences

Question 36

sexual selection

Answer 36

natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex

Question 37

speciation

Answer 37

the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution

Question 38

species

Answer 38

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding

Question 39

trait

Answer 39

a genetically determined characteristic

Question 40

Coevolution

Answer 40

the influence of closely associated species on each other in their evolution

Question 41

Convergent evolution

Answer 41

the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time

Question 42

Divergent evolution

Answer 42

represents the evolutionary pattern in which species sharing a common ancestry become more distinct due to differential selection pressure which gradually leads to speciation over an evolutionary time period

Question 43

Founder effect

Answer 43

the reduced genetic diversity which results when a population is descended from a small number of colonizing ancestors

Question 44

Gene flow

Answer 44

any movement of individuals, and/or the genetic material they carry, from one population to another

Question 45

Gene frequency

Answer 45

the ratio of a particular allele to the total of all other alleles of the same gene in a given population

Question 46

Gene pool

Answer 46

the stock of different genes in an interbreeding population

Question 47

Genetic Drift

Answer 47

variation in the relative frequency of different genotypes in a small population, owing to the chance disappearance of particular genes as individuals die or do not reproduce

Question 48

Geologic record

Answer 48

the entirety of the layers of rock strata