Unit 4 List 1 Evolution

Question 1

amino acid sequencing

Answer 1

he 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 field in the biological sciences concerned with the identification and description of the body structures of living things.

Question 4

biochemical evidence

Answer 4

the amino acid sequence of proteins)

Question 5

biogeography

Answer 5

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

Question 6

cladogram

Answer 6

diagrams which depict the relationships between different groups of taxa called “clades”

Question 7

common ancestry

Answer 7

having descended from one ancestor. Sharing a recent common ancestor means that two or more species are closely related.

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

a laboratory technique used to separate DNA, RNA or protein molecules based on their size and electrical charge.

Question 11

embryo

Answer 11

Early stage in the development of humans and other animals or plants.

Question 12

embryology

Answer 12

the study of development of an embryo from the stage of ovum fertilization through to the fetal stage.

Question 13

evolutionary tree

Answer 13

a diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms, or genes from a common ancestor.

Question 14

fossil record

Answer 14

made up of all the fossils that have been found, along with their relative ages

Question 15

homologous structure

Answer 15

similar physical features in organisms that share a common ancestor, but the features serve completely different functions.

Question 16

homology

Answer 16

similarity of the structure, physiology, or development of different species of organisms based upon their descent from a common evolutionary ancestor.

Question 17

paleontology

Answer 17

the study of the history of life on Earth as based on fossils.

Question 18

phenotypic similarity

Answer 18

a measure of functional redundancy within homologous gene families.

Question 19

phylogeny

Answer 19

a diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms, or genes from a common ancestor.

Question 20

phylogenetic tree

Answer 20

a diagram that represents evolutionary relationships among organisms.

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
adaptation

Answer 22

distinct strata of sediment that have accumulated over time, forming the Earth’s crust and providing a record of geological history.

Question 23

behavior

Answer 23

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

Question 24

competition

Answer 24

the activity or condition of competing.

Question 25

fitness

Answer 25

the condition of being physically fit and healthy.

Question 26

gene pool

Answer 26

the combination of all the genes (including alleles) present in a reproducing population or species.

Question 27

genetic variation

Answer 27

a term used to describe the variation in the DNA sequence in each of our genomes.

Question 28

geographic isolation

Answer 28

a term used to describe the physical separation of populations of organisms from one another due to geographical barriers.

Question 29

morphology

Answer 29

the study of the forms of things.

Question 30

natural selection

Answer 30

a mechanism of evolution.

Question 31

phenotypic expression

Answer 31

the observable characteristics in an organism that results from the expression of genes.

Question 32

physiology

Answer 32

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

Question 33

population

Answer 33

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

Question 34

reproductive isolation

Answer 34

a breakdown in the ability to reproduce successfully with sexual partners of another type of organism,

Question 35

sexual selection

Answer 35

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

Question 36

speciation

Answer 36

how a new kind of plant or animal species is created.

Question 37

species

Answer 37

a group of organisms that can reproduce with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring.

Question 38

trait

Answer 38

a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person.

Question 39

Coevolution

Answer 39

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

Question 40

Convergent evolution

Answer 40

occurs when organisms that aren’t closely related evolve similar features or behaviours, often as solutions to the same problems.

Question 41

Divergent evolution

Answer 41

the process by which interbreeding species diverged into two or more evolutionary groups.

Question 42

Founder effect

Answer 42

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

Question 43

Gene flow

Answer 43

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

Question 44

Gene frequency

Answer 44

the relative frequency of an allele (variant of a gene) at a particular locus in a population, expressed as a fraction or percentage.

Question 45

Gene pool

Answer 45

the stock of different genes in an interbreeding population.

Question 46

Genetic drift

Answer 46

the change in frequency of an existing gene variant in the population due to random chance.