Unit 9: Population Genetics Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

Acquired inheritance

A

a theory proposed by Lamarck that an organism will develop a trait by using it; for example, a giraffe’s neck will get longer because of stretching to reach leaves high in a tree

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Acquired traits

A

traits an organism develops within its lifetime, such as strong muscles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Adaptation

A

any function, structure, or behavior that allows an organism to be successful in their environment so they survive and reproduce

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Adaptive radiation

A

the process by which a single species evolved into many new species to fill available niches

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Allele frequency

A

how often an allele occurs in a gene pool relative to the other alleles for that gene

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Allopactric speciation

A

new species form when a geographic barrier, such as a canyon or river,
separates a population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Analogous structures

A

structures that are similar in unrelated organisms because the structures perform the same job, but they are not inherited from a common ancestor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Artificial selection

A

breeding done by humans to select certain traits or characteristics in the plant or animal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Behavioral isolation

A

a type of reproductive isolation that prevents organisms from reproducing due to the presence or absence of certain behaviors (such as mating rituals)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Biogeography

A

the study of the distribution of organisms, species, ecosystems, and biomes around the world

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Bottleneck effect

A

a type of genetic drift that occurs when a population suddenly gets smaller due to a natural disaster

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Camouflage

A

species has an appearance (color, shape, or pattern) that help blend into the background

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Charles Darwin

A

an English naturalist who developed the theory of evolution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Comparative anatomy (morphology)

A

the study of the similarities and differences in the structures of
different species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Comparative embryology

A

the study of similarities and differences in the embryos of different species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Directional stabilization

A

selection occurs when one of the two extreme phenotypes is selected, so the majority of the population’s characteristics shift towards that end

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Disruptive selection

A

selection that occurs when phenotypes in the middle of the range are selected against, so two different phenotypes develop

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Evolution

A

a change in gene frequencies within a population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Fitness

A

an organism’s ability to survive and produce fertile offspring

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Fossil

A

the remains, impression, or trace of a living thing of a former geologic age, and can include pieces of bone, impressions pressed into rocks, or insects trapped in tree resin

21
Q

Fossil record

A

the information about Earth’s history that can be gathered from fossils

22
Q

Founder effect

A

a type of genetic drift that occurs if a few individuals start (or ‘found’) a new
population (for example move to a new island or new area

23
Q

Gene flow

A

occurs when individuals move into or out of a population

24
Q

Gene pool

A

the combination of all of the genes present in a given population

25
Q

Genetic drift

A

a random change in allele frequencies that occur in small populations

26
Q

Geographic isolation

A

prevents organisms from reproducing due to being separated by geographic
barriers (such as mountains or rivers)

27
Q

Homologous structure

A

structures that are similar in related organisms because they were inherited from a common ancestor; they may or may not have similar functions, but they have the same basic pattern of bones

28
Q

Inherited traits

A

features/characteristics that are passed from one generation to the next

29
Q

Invasive species

A

plants and animals that are brought to a new habitat and ‘bully’ the native species
to the point where many cannot survive

30
Q

Jean Baptiste

A

French naturalist that proposed the theory of acquired characteristics (an organism will develop a trait by using it; for example, a giraffe’s neck will get longer because of stretching to reach leaves high in a tree)

31
Q

Lyell (Charles)

A

English geologist that published book Principles of Geology that explained geological processes have shaped the Earth’s surface, so the Earth must be very old

32
Q

Macroevolution

A

large scale evolutionary change over geologic time and results from microevolution taking place over many generations

33
Q

Malthus (Thomas)

A

English economist that argued human populations grow faster than resources so famine and disease break out, which keeps populations in check

34
Q

Microevolution

A

the study of changes in the gene pool of a species’ population over time

35
Q

Mimicry

A

an adaptation in which a species uses appearances to copy, or mimic, another species (example - a nonpoisonous frog may evolve to look like a poisonous frog)

36
Q

Natural selection

A

beneficial traits (like camouflage) produce more offspring than others, and results in a population that has more of those traits

37
Q

Naturalist

A

a person who studies nature, especially a zoologist (studies animals) or botanist (studies
plants); similar to an environmental biologist

38
Q

Paleontologist

A

scientists who study fossils

39
Q

Population genetics

A

the science that focuses on evolution within populations

40
Q

Postzygotic barrier

A

a reproductive barrier that reduces the viability (reproductive capacity) of hybrid offspring; a mule is an example - a horse and donkey produce a mule which is not fertile

41
Q

Prezygotic barrier

A

anything that prevents mating and fertilization; habitat isolation, behavioral isolation, temporal isolation, and mechanical isolation are examples

42
Q

Reproductive barrier

A

barriers that prevent members of a species from mating and producing
offspring; three types (temporal, geographic, and behavioral)

43
Q

Speciation

A

the process by which a new species evolves

44
Q

Species

A

a group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

45
Q

Stabilizing selection

A

average phenotypes become more common as selection occurs when
phenotypes at both extremes are selected against

46
Q

Sympatric speciation

A

new species form from some type of reproductive barrier (either prezgotic or postzygotic

47
Q

Temporal isolation

A

prevents organisms from reproducing due to differences in the time of breeding schedules

48
Q

Theory of evolution

A

the change in a species over time due to natural selection

49
Q

Vestigial structures

A

structures that no longer serve a purpose in an organism; examples are human appendix, human tailbone, and pelvic bone in whales