Speciation & Phylogeny

These flashcards cover key concepts related to speciation and phylogeny as discussed in ANTH 1001: Human Evolution.

Speciation

The evolutionary process by which new biological species arise.

Species

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile (viable) offspring.

Microevolution

Small-scale evolutionary changes within a species, often occurring over a short time span.

Macroevolution

Large-scale evolutionary changes that occur over long time periods, resulting in the emergence of new species.

Adaptive Radiation

A relatively rapid expansion and diversification of life forms into new ecological niches.

Biological Species Concept

Defines a species as a group of interbreeding organisms connected through gene flow.

Ecological Species Concept

Species distinction based on ecological niches rather than reproductive isolation.

Allopatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs due to geographic isolation and subsequent evolutionary processes.

Parapatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs in adjacent spaces with partial isolation due to behavioral or morphological traits.

Sympatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs without geographic isolation, often through genetic mutation or specialization.

Hybridization

The process of crossing different species, which can lead to the formation of hybrid individuals.

Homology

Traits shared due to common ancestry.

Homoplasy

Traits shared due to convergent evolution, not common ancestry.

Outgroup

A distantly related organism used as a reference group in phylogenetics.

Cladistics

A method used to classify organisms based on shared evolutionary history and traits.

Ancestral Traits

Traits that were present in a common ancestor and passed down to descendants.

Derived Traits

New traits that evolved after the common ancestor, found in some descendants.