BIO2215 Zoology Lecture Exam 1 Study Guide - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from the BIO2215 lecture notes.

Natural History

Descriptive study of organisms, fossils, and ecosystems, emphasizing observation and classification.

Natural Philosophy

Early term for science; seeks to explain nature’s laws through reason and experiment.

Natural Theology

Study of nature as evidence of a divine creator, using design arguments.

Materialism (in science)

Assumes phenomena are explained by physical laws, guiding natural explanations in hypotheses.

Empiricism

Knowledge derived from sensory observation and experience, guiding data collection and experimentation.

Rationalism (Logic)

Use of reason to formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and analyze data.

Initial Observations

Noticing phenomena or patterns as a first step in scientific inquiry.

Hypotheses

Testable explanations or educated guesses about phenomena.

Experimental Design

Plan for controlled tests with variables to test hypotheses.

Data Collection

Gathering empirical measurements and observations from experiments.

Data Analysis

Interpreting data to draw conclusions, often using statistics.

Peer Review

Expert evaluation of research methods and results to ensure validity.

Publication/Presentation

Sharing results through journals, conferences, or other formal outlets.

Predictive Value

Ability of a hypothesis to yield specific, testable predictions.

Testability

Capacity to be evaluated by empirical methods through experiments or observations.

Falsifiability

Quality of a hypothesis that allows it to be proven wrong by evidence.

Null Hypothesis (H0)

Statement of no effect or difference to be tested against.

Alternate Hypothesis (Ha)

Statement proposing a specific effect or difference to be tested.

Simple Models

Models with few variables; easy to use but may oversimplify reality.

Complex Models

Models with many variables; more accurate but computationally intensive.

Reductionist Approach

Studying parts of a system; precise but may miss emergent properties.

Holistic Approach

Studying whole systems; context-rich but often less easily testable.

Pattern (in Biology)

Observable arrangements or regularities in biological data.

Process (in Biology)

Mechanisms or rules that cause or explain patterns.

Comparative Endeavor

Comparing organisms or traits across taxa to infer patterns and relations.

Cognitive Bias

Systematic thinking errors (e.g., confirmation bias) that affect interpretation.

Intelligent Design

Idea that complex features imply a purposeful intelligent cause.

Paley’s Watchmaker Analogy

Argument that complexity in nature indicates a designer, like a watch implies a watchmaker.

Archetype

Idealized structural plan or template for a set of organisms.

Bauplan

Taxon's architectural design; archetypes expressed as abstract plans.

Homology

Similarity due to shared ancestry rather than separate origin.

Analogy

Similar features due to convergent evolution, not shared ancestry.

Phylogeny

Evolutionary history and relationships among organisms, usually depicted as a tree.

Homology in Phylogeny Considerations

Structure similarity, developmental origin, positional similarity, and congruence with other evidence.

Heterology vs. Convergence

Homology vs. analogy: tests needed to distinguish shared ancestry from similarity due to convergent evolution.

Beagle Voyage

Darwin’s 1831–1836 voyage collecting specimens that influenced evolutionary ideas.

Catastrophism

Earth’s features shaped by sudden, regional disasters.

Uniformitarianism

Earth’s features shaped by slow, continuous processes over time.

Geometric Growth

Population growth that multiplies (e.g., 2, 4, 8…).

Arithmetic Growth

Population growth by constant addition (e.g., 2, 4, 6…).

Carrying Capacity (K)

Maximum sustainable population size in an environment.

Intrinsic Growth Rate (r)

Rate at which a population grows in the absence of limiting factors.

Exponential Growth

Unbounded, J-shaped growth pattern.

Logistic Growth

S-shaped growth with carrying capacity and changing natality/mortality.

Darwinian Natural Selection

Differential survival and reproduction due to heritable variation.

Adaptation

Heritable trait that increases fitness in a given environment.

Non-Random Selection

Selection that favors adaptive traits based on environmental conditions.

Directional Selection

Favors one extreme trait value.

Stabilizing Selection

Favors intermediate trait values.

Disruptive Selection

Favors extreme trait values over intermediates.

Anagenesis

Linear evolution within a single lineage.

Cladogenesis

Branching evolution producing new lineages and species.

Phylogeny (revisited)

Evolutionary relationships among organisms as a tree of descent.

Gradualism

Slow, continuous evolutionary change.

Punctuated Equilibrium

Long periods of stasis interrupted by rapid speciation.

Modern Synthesis/Neodarwinism

Integration of Darwinian natural selection with Mendelian genetics.

Character vs. Character-State

Character: broad trait category; Character-State: specific variant of that trait.

Types of Characters

Qualitative (categorical); Discontinuous Quantitative (discrete); Continuous Quantitative (continuous).

Taxic vs. Transformational Homologies

Taxic: shared derived traits; Transformational: changes in homologous traits.

Apomorphy vs. Plesiomorphy

Apomorphy: derived trait; Plesiomorphy: ancestral trait.

Binary vs. Multi-State Character

Binary: two states; Multi-State: more than two states.

Unordered vs Ordered vs Polarized

Unordered: no sequence; Ordered: sequential progression; Polarized: directionality of evolution.

DNA Sequence Data in Cladistics

Character: nucleotide position; Character-State: base or gap; Alignment needed to compare homologous positions.

Autapomorphy

Unique derived trait that does not help to group taxa.

Homology vs. Analogy in Phylogeny

Homology defines clades; analogy can mislead without supporting evidence.

Tests for Homology

Assess similarity and congruence with other characters across taxa.

Generating Cladograms From Matrix

Use parsimony (fewest changes) to infer a cladogram from a character-taxon matrix.

Reconstructing Data Matrix

Tracing character-state changes on a cladogram to infer evolutionary relationships.

Cladogram Components

Nodes (common ancestors), Internodes (time/change), Terminal Branches (extant taxa).

Tree Topologies

Different branching patterns of relatedness; evaluated by parsimony.

Venn Diagrams vs. Cladograms

Venn diagrams show nested hierarchies; cladograms depict evolutionary branching.

Polytomy

A node with more than two branches; unresolved relationships.

Parsimony

Principle of choosing the simplest explanation with the fewest changes.

Monophyletic Group

Ancestor and all its descendants (a clade).

Monophyletic, Paraphyletic, Polyphyletic

Monophyletic: all descendants; Paraphyletic: some descendants; Polyphyletic: taxa with no common recent ancestor.

Homoplasy

Similarity not due to shared ancestry (e.g., convergent traits).

Tree Rooting

Rooted trees include direction of ancestry; unrooted trees show relationships without direction.

Key Contributors to Evolutionary Thought

Scientists who shaped evolutionary/taxonomic theory (e.g., Darwin, Lyell, Malthus, Hennig, Mayr, Eldredge, Gould, Haeckel, Lamarck, Wallace).