bio 4 exam vocab

final exam

Evolution

The change in the genetic makeup (allele frequencies) of a population over generations.

Differential reproductive success

Some individuals in a population produce more surviving offspring than others because of their traits.

Fitness

An organism’s ability to survive and reproduce, passing its genes to the next generation.

Allele frequency

How common a certain version of a gene is in a population.

Natural selection

Individuals with helpful traits survive and reproduce more, causing those traits to increase in a population.

Adaptation

A heritable trait that increases an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Heritable phenotypic variation

The differences in physical traits among individuals can be passed from parents to offspring.

Genetic drift

A random change in allele frequencies in a population caused by random events that are not related