Evolution, Natural Selection, and Taxonomy Flashcards

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards generated from lecture notes covering key concepts in evolution, natural selection, mechanisms of microevolution, speciation, and taxonomy.

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce __________ offspring is defined as a species.

fertile

__________ observed variations in the characteristics of plants and animals on different islands of the Galapagos.

Charles Darwin

An organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its specific environment refers to its __________.

fitness

Lamarck proposed that organisms acquired or lost traits during their lifetime through __________ and disuse.

use

James Hutton proposed that geological forces shape the Earth by slow, gradual processes, a concept known as __________.

Gradualism

Charles Lyell expanded on Hutton's work and proposed the principle of __________, which states that the same processes that shaped ancient Earth are occurring today.

UNIFORMATARIANISM

Thomas Malthus hypothesized that over time human populations would outgrow their resources, leading Darwin to apply the concept of the struggle for __________ to all organisms.

existence

The graph shown below illustrates __________ selection, where individuals at one end of the curve have higher fitness than individuals in the middle or at the other end.

directional

The graph shown below illustrates __________ selection, where individuals near the center of the curve have higher fitness than individuals at either end.

stabilizing

The graph shown below illustrates __________ selection, where individuals at the upper and lower ends of the curve have higher fitness than individuals near the middle.

disruptive

If initial fur color frequencies shift from $301\%$ white and $70\%$ black to $60\%$ white and $40\%$ black three generations later within the same species, this shift in allele frequencies is known as __________.

microevolution

Carolus Linnaeus is known as the Father of __________.

Taxonomy

In binomial nomenclature, the first word of an organism's scientific name represents the __________ and the second word represents the species.

Genus

The eight hierarchical taxa in order from broadest to most specific are Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and __________.

Species

A __________ cell contains no nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles.

prokaryotic

Organisms that have the ability to create their own nutritional requirements from inorganic sources are called __________.

autotrophs

Fungi have cell walls made of chitin, whereas plants have cell walls made of __________.

cellulose

Structures that have different mature forms but develop from the same embryonic tissues are called __________ structures.

homologous

Structures that have similar external form and function but different internal structures, such as the wings of birds and flies, are __________ structures.

analogous

Organs or structures that are so reduced in size that they are just vestiges of homologous organs in other species are called __________ structures.

vestigial

When a number of different species move away from a common ancestral form to occupy different niches, it is called adaptive radiation or __________ evolution.

divergent

All of the alleles of all individuals in a population make up the __________.

gene pool

A random change in allele frequency in a small population due to chance is called genetic __________.

drift

The __________ effect is a type of genetic drift caused by a drastic reduction in population size due to natural events or disease.

Bottleneck

The __________ effect occurs when a new colony is started by a few members of the original population, resulting in reduced genetic variation.

Founder

Genetic exchange due to the migration of fertile individuals or gametes between populations is known as gene __________.

flow

A situation in which allele frequencies in a population remain the same is referred to as genetic __________.

equilibrium

When two populations are separated by physical barriers such as rivers or mountains, __________ isolation has occurred.

geographic

When two or more species reproduce at different times or seasons, preventing interbreeding, it is called __________ isolation.

temporal

When two populations have differences in courtship rituals or other reproductive strategies, __________ isolation takes place.

behavioral