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

AP Biology Evolution Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
6202676703homologous structuresstructures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry0
6202676704vestigial structuresremnants of features that served important functions in the the organism's ancestors1
6202676705convergent evolutionthe independent evolution of similar features in different lineages2
6202676706Hardy-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
6202676707gene poolthe aggregate of all of the alleles for all of the loci in individuals in a population4
6202676708populationa group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring5
6202676709natural selectiona process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics6
6202676710genetic driftchanges in the gene pool due to random events7
6202676711founder 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
6202676712bottleneck 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
6202676713gene flowthe transfer of alleles into or out of a population due to the movement of fertile individuals or their gametes10
6202676714directional 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
6202676715disruptive selectionwhen conditions favor individuals at both extremes of a phenotypic range over individuals with intermediate phenotypes12
6202676716stabilizing selectionacts against both extreme phenotypes and favors intermediate variants13
6202676717sexual selectiona form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates14
6202676718sexual 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
6202676719diploidythe state of being diploid, that is having two sets of chromosomes16
6202676720heterozygote advantagewhen individuals who are heterozygous at a particular locus have greater fitness than do both kind of homozygous17
6202676721frequency-dependent selectionfitness of a phenotype declines if it becomes too common in the population18
6202676722speciationthe process by which one species splits into two or more species19
6202676723microevolutionchanges over time in allele frequencies in a population20
6202676724macroevolutionthe broad pattern of evolution over long time spans21
6202676725speciesa 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
6202676726reproductive isolationthe existance of biological barriers that impede members of two species from producing viable offspring23
6202676727hybridsoffspring that result from interspecific mating24
6202676728prezygotic barriersimpede mating or hinder fertilization if mating occurs (five types: habitat, temporal, behavioral, mechanical, gametic)25
6202676729post zygotic barriersprevents hybrid zygote from developing into a viable fertile adult through reducing hybrid viability, reducing hybrid fertility, or hybrid breakdown26
6202676730allopatric speciationgene flow is interrupted when a population is divided into geographically isolated subpopulations27
6202676731sympatric speciationspeciation occurs in populations that live in the same geographic area (usually occurs due to polyploidy, habitat differentiation, and sexual selection)28
6202676732polyploidyextra sets of chromosomes due to accidents during cell division29
6202676733autopolyploidan individual that has more than two chromosome sets that are all derived from a single species30
6202676734allopolyploidan 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
6202676735punctuated equilibriumthe theory that in the evolution there are long periods of little morphological change punctuated by relatively short periods of significant change32
6202676736ribozymeRNA that can also carry out a number of enzyme-like catalytic functions33
6202676737protobiontscollections of abiotically produced molecules surrounded by a membrane-like structure with simple chemical reactions (precursor of prokaryotic cells)34
6202676738endosymbiosismitochondria and chloroplasts were formally small prokaryotes that began living within larger cells35
6202676739adaptive 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
6202676740homeotic 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
6202676741phylogenythe evolutionary history of a species or group of species38
6202676742systematicsstudy and classification of biodiversity and determining their evolutionary relationships39
6202676743phylogenetic treeevolutionary history of a group of organisms represented in a branching diagram40
6202676744analogysimilarity due to convergent evolution41
6202676745homologysimilarity due to shared ancestry42
6202676746cladea group of species which includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants43
6202676747outgroupa 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
6202676748maximum 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
6202676749molecular 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
6202676750horizontal 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
6202676751Darwin's Theory (five parts)1. Variation 2. Overproduction 3. Competition 4. Survival of the fittest 5. Overtime, emergence of new species (new alleles)48

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!