Descent with Modification Lecture Notes

A set of flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on Descent with Modification.

Descent with Modification

The principle that species change over time and share common ancestors.

Natural Selection

A mechanism by which individuals with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Fossils

Remains or impressions of ancient organisms preserved in sedimentary rocks.

Catastrophism

The hypothesis that Earth's geology and life have been shaped by sudden, short-lived, and extreme events.

Gradualism

The principle that changes in Earth's surface occur slowly over time.

Uniformitarianism

The theory that the same geological processes that operate today also operated in the past at similar rates.

Artificial Selection

The process by which humans breed plants and animals for particular traits.

Homology

Similarities in structures that are derived from a common ancestor.

Evolutionary theory

A cohesive explanation for observations in biology regarding the origin and adaptation of species.

Biogeography

The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time.