Evidence for Evolution (Video)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, terms, and examples from the Evolution lecture notes.

Evolution

The gradual change of inherited traits in populations over generations, leading to descent with modification.

Descent with modification

All organisms are connected by common ancestry, with traits that change over time through modification.

Common ancestor

An ancestral species from which two or more species diverged.

Fossils

Remains or traces of ancient life; show a temporal sequence of forms and evidence of evolution.

Transitional forms

Fossils that display characteristics intermediate between ancestral and derived groups, illustrating evolutionary change.

Vestigial organs

Anatomical features that have lost or reduced function in a lineage but were functional in ancestors.

Vestigial tailbone

The human coccyx; a vestigial remnant of a tail from ancestors.

Vestigial toes in the horse

Remnant toes in modern horses that are reduced and no longer functionally essential.

Vestigial limbs in whales and snakes

Remnants of limbs in ancestors that are reduced or lost in modern whales and snakes.

Homologous structures

Similar bone structures in different species due to shared ancestry, often with different functions.

Biogeography

Geographic distribution of species and how it informs evolutionary patterns.

Comparative embryology

Comparison of embryonic development across species to reveal shared ancestry.

Von Baer’s Law

Early developmental features are widely distributed across animals; differences emerge later.

Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny

Historically, the idea that embryo development passes through stages resembling ancestral forms (largely outdated).

Pseudogenes

Nonfunctional copies of genes that reveal shared ancestry when found across species.

Molecular evidence

DNA and protein sequence data used to infer evolutionary relationships and shared ancestry.

Genomics

Large-scale DNA sequencing data showing gene content, duplications, and evolutionary relationships.

Shared genes

Genes common across diverse species, indicating a common ancestor (e.g., yeast and humans share many genes).

Artificial selection

Selective breeding by humans to enhance desirable traits, illustrating how selection shapes populations.

Fossil progression

The fossil record shows a progression from simpler to more complex forms over time.

Ichthyostega

An early transitional fossil between fish and tetrapods, showing mixed features.

Acanthostega

An early transitional fossil with features of both fish and tetrapods.

Tiktaalik

A transitional fossil with both fish-like and tetrapod-like traits, illustrating the fish-to-tetrapod transition.

Panderichthys

Transitional fossil showing intermediary traits between fish and tetrapods.

Eusthenopteron

An early lobe-finned fish used in discussions of the fish-to-tetrapod transition.

Beagle voyage

Darwin’s 1831–1836 voyage on HMS Beagle that yielded key observations supporting evolution.

Galápagos finches

Finches on the Galápagos Islands showing island-specific variation and links to a South American mainland ancestor.

Buffon

18th‑century naturalist who proposed that species spread from multiple centers of creation and can be modified.

Erasmus Darwin

Early proponent of a common ancestor and organic modification of species.

Lamarck

Early 19th‑century idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics and environment‑driven change.

Darwin

Proposed descent with modification and, with evidence, a plausible mechanism for evolution.

Signatures of shared ancestry

Molecular and structural similarities across species indicating common evolutionary origins.

Genome sequencing

Determining the order of nucleotides in an organism’s genome to test predictions of evolution.

Non-coding DNA

DNA that does not code for proteins but contains evolutionary and regulatory information.

Functional morphology

Study of how anatomical structure relates to function, informing evolutionary adaptations.