Week 1 Flashcards
macroevolution
The broad pattern of evolution above the species level.
Evolution of flight, not just one species
protocell
droplets with membranes that maintained an internal chemistry different from their surroundings
hydrothermal vents
Areas on the sea floor where heated water and minerals gush from earths interior into the ocean
alkaline vents
release water of a high PH (9-11) and a better temperature to sustain life
metabolism
energy processing
vesicles
fluid filled compartments enclosed by a membrane like structure
ribozymes
A ribozyme is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) enzyme that catalyzes a chemical reaction. The ribozyme catalyses specific reactions in a similar way to that of protein enzymes. Also called catalytic RNA, ribozymes are found in the ribosome where they join amino acids together to form protein chains.
strata
fossil buildup in sedentary layers of rock
amber
fossilized tree-sap, insect fossils found here
radiometric dating
Radiometric dating (often called radioactive dating) is a technique used to date materials such as rocks or carbon, usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates.
half-life
The time required for 50% of the parent isotope to decay
Geologic record
A standard time scale that divides Earths history into four eons and further subdivisions
Stromatolites
Layered rocks that form when certain prokaryotes bind thing films of sediment together
Plastids
General term for chloroplasts and related organelles
Endosymbiont theory
Mitochondria and plastids were formerly small prokaryotes living within larger cells, called host cells
