AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Biology Evolution Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
9341074125homologous structuresstructures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry0
9341074126vestigial structuresremnants of features that served important functions in the the organism's ancestors1
9341074127convergent evolutionthe independent evolution of similar features in different lineages2
9341074128Hardy-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
9341074129gene poolthe aggregate of all of the alleles for all of the loci in individuals in a population4
9341074130populationa group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring5
9341074131natural selectiona process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics6
9341074132genetic driftchanges in the gene pool due to random events7
9341074133founder 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
9341074134bottleneck 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
9341074135gene flowthe transfer of alleles into or out of a population due to the movement of fertile individuals or their gametes10
9341074136directional 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
9341074137disruptive selectionwhen conditions favor individuals at both extremes of a phenotypic range over individuals with intermediate phenotypes12
9341074138stabilizing selectionacts against both extreme phenotypes and favors intermediate variants13
9341074139sexual selectiona form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates14
9341074140sexual 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
9341074141diploidythe state of being diploid, that is having two sets of chromosomes16
9341074142heterozygote advantagewhen individuals who are heterozygous at a particular locus have greater fitness than do both kind of homozygous17
9341074143frequency-dependent selectionfitness of a phenotype declines if it becomes too common in the population18
9341074144speciationthe process by which one species splits into two or more species19
9341074145microevolutionchanges over time in allele frequencies in a population20
9341074146macroevolutionthe broad pattern of evolution over long time spans21
9341074147speciesa 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
9341074148reproductive isolationthe existance of biological barriers that impede members of two species from producing viable offspring23
9341074149hybridsoffspring that result from interspecific mating24
9341074150prezygotic barriersimpede mating or hinder fertilization if mating occurs (five types: habitat, temporal, behavioral, mechanical, gametic)25
9341074151post zygotic barriersprevents hybrid zygote from developing into a viable fertile adult through reducing hybrid viability, reducing hybrid fertility, or hybrid breakdown26
9341074152allopatric speciationgene flow is interrupted when a population is divided into geographically isolated subpopulations27
9341074153sympatric speciationspeciation occurs in populations that live in the same geographic area (usually occurs due to polyploidy, habitat differentiation, and sexual selection)28
9341074154polyploidyextra sets of chromosomes due to accidents during cell division29
9341074155autopolyploidan individual that has more than two chromosome sets that are all derived from a single species30
9341074157punctuated equilibriumthe theory that in the evolution there are long periods of little morphological change punctuated by relatively short periods of significant change31
9341074158ribozymeRNA that can also carry out a number of enzyme-like catalytic functions32
9341074160endosymbiosismitochondria and chloroplasts were formally small prokaryotes that began living within larger cells33
9341074161adaptive radiationPeriod of evolutionary change in which groups of organisms form many new species whose adaptations allow them to fill vacant ecological roles in their communities34
9341074162homeotic 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 arranged35
9341074163phylogenythe evolutionary history of a species or group of species36
9341074164systematicsstudy and classification of biodiversity and determining their evolutionary relationships37
9341074165phylogenetic treeevolutionary history of a group of organisms represented in a branching diagram38
9341074166analogysimilarity due to convergent evolution39
9341074167homologysimilarity due to shared ancestry40
9341074168cladea group of species which includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants41
9341074169outgroupa species or group of species from an evolutionary lineage that is known to have diverged before the lineage that includes the species we are studying42
9341074170maximum parsimonya principle that states that when considering multiple explanations for an observation, one should first investigate the simplest explanation that is consistent with the facts43
9341074171molecular 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 rates44
9341074172horizontal 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 organisms45
9341074173Darwin's Theory (five parts)1. Variation 2. Overproduction 3. Competition 4. Survival of the fittest 5. Overtime, emergence of new species (new alleles)46
9341074175MonophyleticA branch on a phylogenetic tree that contains all decscendants of a common ancestor47
9341074176Abiogenesisorigin of life from nonliving matter48
9341074177abiotic synthesisformation of organic molecules from inorganic material49
9341074178last universal common ancestor (LUCA)a common ancestor to all organisms that live and had lived on Earth50
9341074179protocellorganic polymers enclosed in a membrane51
9341074181geologic timescaledivision of the history of Earth into eras, periods and epochs52
9341074182extinctiontotal disappearance of all members of a species53
9341074183mass extinctiontotal disappearance of a large number a species within a few million years54
9341074184extantstill in existance55
9341074185fitnessability to produce surviving offspring56
9341074186morphological species conceptnew species differ by physical characteristics known as diagnostic traits57
9341074187evolutionary species conceptmembers of a species share distinct evolutionary pathway and common traits58
9341074188phylogenetic species concepta family tree is used to identify species based on a common ancestor59
9341074189biological species conceptspecies are identified as separate because of reproductive isolation.60
9341074190plate tectonicsbranch of geology which follows the movement of pieces of Earth's crust which float on a lower, hot mantle layer61
9341074191continental driftchange over time of the positions of the continents62
9341074192fossilremains and traces of evidence of past life63
9341074193paleontologystudy of the fossil record64
9341074195absolute datingrelies on radiometric dating to assign an age to a fossil65
9341311338transitional fossilany fossilized remains of a life form that exhibits traits common to both an ancestral group and its derived descendant group66

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!