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AP Biology Evolution Flashcards

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5860795882homologous structuresstructures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry0
5860795883vestigial structuresremnants of features that served important functions in the the organism's ancestors1
5860795884convergent evolutionthe independent evolution of similar features in different lineages2
5860795885Hardy-Weinbergthe frequencies of alleles and genotypes in a population will remain constant from generation to generation, provided that only Mendelian segregation and recombination of alleles are at work3
5860795886gene poolthe aggregate of all of the alleles for all of the loci in individuals in a population4
5860795887populationa group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring5
5860795888natural selectiona process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics6
5860795889genetic driftchanges in the gene pool due to random events7
5860795890founder effectwhen a individuals become isolated from a larger population, this smaller group may establish a new population whose gene pool differs from the source population8
5860795891bottleneck effectwhen there is a severe drop in population size, certain alleles may be overrepresented among the survivors, others may be underrepresented, and some may be absent altogether9
5860795892gene flowthe transfer of alleles into or out of a population due to the movement of fertile individuals or their gametes10
5860795893directional selectionwhen conditions favor individuals exhibiting one extreme of a phenotypic range, thereby shifting the frequency curve for the phenotypic character in one direction or the other11
5860795894disruptive selectionwhen conditions favor individuals at both extremes of a phenotypic range over individuals with intermediate phenotypes12
5860795895stabilizing selectionacts against both extreme phenotypes and favors intermediate variants13
5860795896sexual selectiona form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates14
5860795897sexual dimorphismmarked differences between the two sexes in secondary sexual characteristics, which are not directly associated with reproduction or survival (differences in size, color, ornamentation, and behavior)15
5860795898diploidythe state of being diploid, that is having two sets of chromosomes16
5860795899heterozygote advantagewhen individuals who are heterozygous at a particular locus have greater fitness than do both kind of homozygous17
5860795900frequency-dependent selectionfitness of a phenotype declines if it becomes too common in the population18
5860795901speciationthe process by which one species splits into two or more species19
5860795902microevolutionchanges over time in allele frequencies in a population20
5860795903macroevolutionthe broad pattern of evolution over long time spans21
5860795904speciesa group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce viable, fertile offspring- but do not produce viable, fertile offspring with members of other such groups22
5860795905reproductive isolationthe existance of biological barriers that impede members of two species from producing viable offspring23
5860795906hybridsoffspring that result from interspecific mating24
5860795907prezygotic barriersimpede mating or hinder fertilization if mating occurs (five types: habitat, temporal, behavioral, mechanical, gametic)25
5860795908post zygotic barriersprevents hybrid zygote from developing into a viable fertile adult through reducing hybrid viability, reducing hybrid fertility, or hybrid breakdown26
5860795909allopatric speciationgene flow is interrupted when a population is divided into geographically isolated subpopulations27
5860795910sympatric speciationspeciation occurs in populations that live in the same geographic area (usually occurs due to polyploidy, habitat differentiation, and sexual selection)28
5860795911polyploidyextra sets of chromosomes due to accidents during cell division29
5860795912autopolyploidan individual that has more than two chromosome sets that are all derived from a single species30
5860795913allopolyploidan individual that has more than two chromosome sets due to two different species interbreeding and after several generations can change a sterile hybrid into a fertile polyploid. Allopolyploids are fertile when mating with each other but cannot interbreed with either parent species31
5860795914punctuated equilibriumthe theory that in the evolution there are long periods of little morphological change punctuated by relatively short periods of significant change32
5860795915ribozymeRNA that can also carry out a number of enzyme-like catalytic functions33
5860795916protobiontscollections of abiotically produced molecules surrounded by a membrane-like structure with simple chemical reactions (precursor of prokaryotic cells)34
5860795917endosymbiosismitochondria and chloroplasts were formally small prokaryotes that began living within larger cells35
5860795918adaptive radiationPeriod of evolutionary change in which groups of organisms form many new species whose adaptations allow them to fill vacant ecological roles in their communities36
5860795919homeotic genesmaster regulatory genes that determine such basic features as where a pair of wings and a pair of legs will develop on a bird or how a plant's flower parts are arranged37
5860795920phylogenythe evolutionary history of a species or group of species38
5860795921systematicsstudy and classification of biodiversity and determining their evolutionary relationships39
5860795922phylogenetic treeevolutionary history of a group of organisms represented in a branching diagram40
5860795923analogysimilarity due to convergent evolution41
5860795924homologysimilarity due to shared ancestry42
5860795925cladea group of species which includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants43
5860795926outgroupa species or group of species from an evolutionary lineage that is known to have diverged before the lineage that includes the species we are studying44
5860795927maximum parsimonya principle that states that when considering multiple explanations for an observation, one should first investigate the simplest explanation that is consistent with the facts45
5860795928molecular clocka yardstick for measuring the absolute time of evolutionary change based on the observation that some genes and other regions of genomes appear to evolve at constant rates46
5860795929horizontal gene transfera process in which genes are transferred from one genome to another through mechanisms such as exchange of transposable elements and plasmids, viral infection and perhaps fusion of organisms47
5860795930Darwin's Theory (five parts)1. Variation 2. Overproduction 3. Competition 4. Survival of the fittest 5. Overtime, emergence of new species (new alleles)48
5861142922Cryptic speciesSpecies which look almost identical but that are very different in other traits49
5861158564MonophyleticA branch on a phylogenetic tree that contains all decscendants of a common ancestor50
5861181945Abiogenesisorigin of life from nonliving matter51
5861186853abiotic synthesisformation of organic molecules from inorganic material52
5861198293last universal common ancestor (LUCA)a common ancestor to all organisms that live and had lived on Earth53
5861207699protocellorganic polymers enclosed in a membrane54
5861213527ozone shieldprotect organisms from harmful UV rays55
5861219781geologic timescaledivision of the history of Earth into eras, periods and epochs56
5861227824extinctiontotal disappearance of all members of a species57
5861233770mass extinctiontotal disappearance of a large number a species within a few million years58
5861241201extantstill in existance59
5861296530fitnessability to produce surviving offspring60
5861310526morphological species conceptnew species differ by physical characteristics known as diagnostic traits61
5861321312evolutionary species conceptmembers of a species share distinct evolutionary pathway and common traits62
5861330965phylogenetic species concepta family tree is used to identify species based on a common ancestor63
5861339799biological species conceptspecies are identified as separate because of reproductive isolation.64
5861362122plate tectonicsbranch of geology which follows the movement of pieces of Earth's crust which float on a lower, hot mantle layer65
5861376591continental driftchange over time of the positions of the continents66
5861408409fossilremains and traces of evidence of past life67
5861418334paleontologystudy of the fossil record68
5861437022index fossilsfossils used to identify deposits made at apparently the same time in different parts of the world, used for relative dating69
5861455654absolute datingrelies on radiometric dating to assign an age to a fossil70

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