Biology Concepts: Evolution, Natural Selection, and Classification

Vocabulary flashcards covering DNA, adaptation, evolution, natural selection, taxonomy, systematics, classification categories, and the three domains of life.

DNA

The molecular blueprint of life present in all living organisms; genes are made of DNA.

Genes

Units inherited from parents that direct embryo growth and are composed of DNA in all organisms.

Reproduce

To produce a new individual of the same kind.

Adaptations

Modifications that make organisms suited to their way of life and environment.

Natural Selection

A process independently identified by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in which individuals with traits better suited to an environment live longer and produce more offspring, increasing those adaptations in frequency over generations.

Taxonomy

The discipline of naming and classifying organisms according to certain rules.

Systematics

The biological discipline that classifies organisms according to presumed evolutionary relationships.

Domain

The most inclusive and most general classification category of life.

Domain Archaea

A domain of unicellular prokaryotes lacking a membrane-bound nucleus that can live in extreme environments and may represent the first cells on Earth.

Domain Bacteria

A domain of unicellular prokaryotes lacking a membrane-bound nucleus that are found almost everywhere.

Domain Eukarya

A domain consisting of unicellular or multicellular eukaryotes whose cells possess a membrane-bound nucleus.