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AP Biology Evolution Flashcards

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9685924363homologous structuresstructures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry0
9685924364vestigial structuresremnants of features that served important functions in the the organism's ancestors1
9685924365convergent evolutionthe independent evolution of similar features in different lineages2
9685924366Hardy-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
9685924367gene poolthe aggregate of all of the alleles for all of the loci in individuals in a population4
9685924368populationa group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring5
9685924369natural selectiona process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics6
9685924370genetic driftchanges in the gene pool due to random events7
9685924371founder 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
9685924372bottleneck 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
9685924373gene flowthe transfer of alleles into or out of a population due to the movement of fertile individuals or their gametes10
9685924374directional 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
9685924375disruptive selectionwhen conditions favor individuals at both extremes of a phenotypic range over individuals with intermediate phenotypes12
9685924376stabilizing selectionacts against both extreme phenotypes and favors intermediate variants13
9685924377sexual selectiona form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates14
9685924379diploidythe state of being diploid, that is having two sets of chromosomes15
9685924380heterozygote advantagewhen individuals who are heterozygous at a particular locus have greater fitness than do both kind of homozygous16
9685924381frequency-dependent selectionfitness of a phenotype declines if it becomes too common in the population17
9685924382speciationthe process by which one species splits into two or more species18
9685924383microevolutionchanges over time in allele frequencies in a population19
9685924384macroevolutionthe broad pattern of evolution over long time spans20
9685924385speciesa 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 groups21
9685924386reproductive isolationthe existance of biological barriers that impede members of two species from producing viable offspring22
9685924387hybridsoffspring that result from interspecific mating23
9685924388prezygotic barriersimpede mating or hinder fertilization if mating occurs (five types: habitat, temporal, behavioral, mechanical, gametic)24
9685924389post zygotic barriersprevents hybrid zygote from developing into a viable fertile adult through reducing hybrid viability, reducing hybrid fertility, or hybrid breakdown25
9685924390allopatric speciationgene flow is interrupted when a population is divided into geographically isolated subpopulations26
9685924391sympatric speciationspeciation occurs in populations that live in the same geographic area (usually occurs due to polyploidy, habitat differentiation, and sexual selection)27
9685924392polyploidyextra sets of chromosomes due to accidents during cell division28
9685924395punctuated equilibriumthe theory that in the evolution there are long periods of little morphological change punctuated by relatively short periods of significant change29
9685924398endosymbiosismitochondria and chloroplasts were formally small prokaryotes that began living within larger cells30
9685924399adaptive radiationPeriod of evolutionary change in which groups of organisms form many new species whose adaptations allow them to fill vacant ecological roles in their communities31
9685924400homeotic 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 arranged32
9685924401phylogenythe evolutionary history of a species or group of species33
9685924403phylogenetic treeevolutionary history of a group of organisms represented in a branching diagram34
9685924404analogysimilarity due to convergent evolution35
9685924405homologysimilarity due to shared ancestry36
9685924407outgroupa species or group of species from an evolutionary lineage that is known to have diverged before the lineage that includes the species we are studying37
9685924408maximum parsimonya principle that states that when considering multiple explanations for an observation, one should first investigate the simplest explanation that is consistent with the facts38
9685924409molecular 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 rates39
9685924411Darwin's Theory (five parts)1. Variation 2. Overproduction 3. Competition 4. Survival of the fittest 5. Overtime, emergence of new species (new alleles)40
9685924412Cryptic speciesSpecies which look almost identical but that are very different in other traits41
9685924413MonophyleticA branch on a phylogenetic tree that contains all decscendants of a common ancestor42
9685924414Abiogenesisorigin of life from nonliving matter43
9685924416last universal common ancestor (LUCA)a common ancestor to all organisms that live and had lived on Earth44
9685924417protocellorganic polymers enclosed in a membrane45
9685924419geologic timescaledivision of the history of Earth into eras, periods and epochs46
9685924420extinctiontotal disappearance of all members of a species47
9685924421mass extinctiontotal disappearance of a large number a species within a few million years48
9685924423fitnessability to produce surviving offspring49
9685924430fossilremains and traces of evidence of past life50
9685924431paleontologystudy of the fossil record51

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