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AP Biology Evolution Flashcards

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6013586740homologous structuresstructures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry0
6013586741vestigial structuresremnants of features that served important functions in the the organism's ancestors1
6013586742convergent evolutionthe independent evolution of similar features in different lineages2
6013586743Hardy-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
6013586744gene poolthe aggregate of all of the alleles for all of the loci in individuals in a population4
6013586745populationa group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring5
6013586746natural selectiona process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics6
6013586747genetic driftchanges in the gene pool due to random events7
6013586748founder 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
6013586749bottleneck 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
6013586750gene flowthe transfer of alleles into or out of a population due to the movement of fertile individuals or their gametes10
6013586751directional 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
6013586752disruptive selectionwhen conditions favor individuals at both extremes of a phenotypic range over individuals with intermediate phenotypes12
6013586753stabilizing selectionacts against both extreme phenotypes and favors intermediate variants13
6013586754sexual selectiona form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates14
6013586755sexual 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
6013586756diploidythe state of being diploid, that is having two sets of chromosomes16
6013586757heterozygote advantagewhen individuals who are heterozygous at a particular locus have greater fitness than do both kind of homozygous17
6013586758frequency-dependent selectionfitness of a phenotype declines if it becomes too common in the population18
6013586759speciationthe process by which one species splits into two or more species19
6013586760microevolutionchanges over time in allele frequencies in a population20
6013586761macroevolutionthe broad pattern of evolution over long time spans21
6013586762speciesa 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
6013586763reproductive isolationthe existance of biological barriers that impede members of two species from producing viable offspring23
6013586764hybridsoffspring that result from interspecific mating24
6013586765prezygotic barriersimpede mating or hinder fertilization if mating occurs (five types: habitat, temporal, behavioral, mechanical, gametic)25
6013586766post zygotic barriersprevents hybrid zygote from developing into a viable fertile adult through reducing hybrid viability, reducing hybrid fertility, or hybrid breakdown26
6013586767allopatric speciationgene flow is interrupted when a population is divided into geographically isolated subpopulations27
6013586768sympatric speciationspeciation occurs in populations that live in the same geographic area (usually occurs due to polyploidy, habitat differentiation, and sexual selection)28
6013586769polyploidyextra sets of chromosomes due to accidents during cell division29
6013586770autopolyploidan individual that has more than two chromosome sets that are all derived from a single species30
6013586771allopolyploidan 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
6013586772punctuated equilibriumthe theory that in the evolution there are long periods of little morphological change punctuated by relatively short periods of significant change32
6013586773ribozymeRNA that can also carry out a number of enzyme-like catalytic functions33
6013586774protobiontscollections of abiotically produced molecules surrounded by a membrane-like structure with simple chemical reactions (precursor of prokaryotic cells)34
6013586775endosymbiosismitochondria and chloroplasts were formally small prokaryotes that began living within larger cells35
6013586776adaptive 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
6013586777homeotic 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
6013586778phylogenythe evolutionary history of a species or group of species38
6013586779systematicsstudy and classification of biodiversity and determining their evolutionary relationships39
6013586780phylogenetic treeevolutionary history of a group of organisms represented in a branching diagram40
6013586781analogysimilarity due to convergent evolution41
6013586782homologysimilarity due to shared ancestry42
6013586783cladea group of species which includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants43
6013586784outgroupa 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
6013586785maximum 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
6013586786molecular 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
6013586787horizontal 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
6013586788Darwin's Theory (five parts)1. Variation 2. Overproduction 3. Competition 4. Survival of the fittest 5. Overtime, emergence of new species (new alleles)48

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