Units 1,2,3 Flashcards
Define evolution
Accounts for both similarities of individuals cross different species and the diversity of traits within a species
Define conspecific
Any individuals consisting of the same species
Define genetic species concept
similar DNA across species to determine if they are conspecific
Define Microevolutionary Biology
Changes on the genetic scale over time
Define Macroevolutionary Biology
Change on the species scale
What is Jean Lamarck known for
The inheritance of acquired characteristics (giraffes and their long necks)
What was Thomas Malthus’s main point
Populations cannot grow forever
Define Biogeography
The study of patterns in the geographic distribution of species
Define Extant
Opposite of extinct
Define Endemic
Only able to find a species in one specific area
Define Fossils
Evidence of earlier forms of life
Define Stratigraphy
Study of rock layers
Define Evolutionary Fitness
Ones ability to find resources and able to survive and reproduce
What are 3 weaknesses of the fossil record
1) Soft-bodied organisms
2) Preservation requirements
3) Must find the fossil
Define Law of Superposition
Changes in certain lineages over time
Define Law of Succession
Fossils and living organisms in the same geographic region resemble each other but are distant from organisms found in other areas
Define Comparative Morphology
Study of body forms and structures of major groups of organisms
Homologous structures gives us clues about what
Divergence events
Define Morphological convergence
Environmental pressures cause two unrelated species to develop similar traits
Define Analogous structures
Similar functions but are derived from different source structures
Define Vestigial structures
Useless or rudimentary version of a body part
What are four processes that drive populations out of genetic equilibrium
1) Mutation
2) Genetic drift
3) Gene flow
4) Selection
Define Polygenic
Multiple alleles and genes that control an outward trait
Define Homozygous
Two alleles on a chromosome may be identical