Unit 8: Evolution

Question 1

biological process that makes a species highly fit (both genotypically and phenotypically) for all the changes that take place in its environment

Answer 1

adaptation

Question 2

the identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals, and the steps taken to enhance and perpetuate those traits in future generations

Answer 2

artificial selection

Question 3

the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

Answer 3

evolution

Question 4

reproductive success and reflects how well an organism is adapted to its environment

Answer 4

fitness

Question 5

transfer of genetic material from one population to another

Answer 5

gene flow

Question 6

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.

Answer 6

genetic drift

Question 7

evolutionary change within a species or small group of organisms, especially over a short period.

Answer 7

Microevolution

Question 8

the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring

Answer 8

natural selection

Question 9

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

Answer 9

sexual selection

Question 10

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

Answer 10

homologous features

Question 11

history of life as documented by fossils, the remains or imprints of organisms from earlier geological periods preserved in sedimentary rock.

Answer 11

fossil record

Question 12

major evolutionary change. The term applies mainly to the evolution of whole taxonomic groups over long periods of time.

Answer 12

macroevolution

Question 13

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

Answer 13

phylogenetic tree

Question 14

when a group within a species separates from other members of its species and develops its own unique characteristics

Answer 14

speciation event

Question 15

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

Answer 15

species