Development of Evolutionary Thinking

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from the lecture notes on the development of evolutionary thinking.

Evolution

Change in the genetic composition of populations over time, leading to the diversity of life.

Natural selection

Differential survival and reproduction of individuals with advantageous heritable traits.

Descent with modification

Darwin's idea that all living species descend from common ancestors with changes accumulating over generations.

Gradualism

Slow, continuous geological change proposed by Hutton as the mechanism for Earth’s features.

Uniformitarianism

Principle that current geological processes have operated throughout Earth's history; Lyell.

Catastrophism

Idea that Earth's features arose from sudden, large-scale catastrophes; promoted by Cuvier.

Scala Naturae

Great chain of being; a hierarchical ladder of life conceptualized in natural theology.

Binomial nomenclature

Two-name system for naming species (Genus species) standardized by Linnaeus.

Linnaeus

Father of modern taxonomy; established binomial nomenclature and taxonomic conventions.

Aristotle

Ancient Greek philosopher who described fixed natural kinds and a ladder-like classification.

Natural theology

Idea that nature reveals God's design and purpose; used to argue for creation.

Vestigial structures

Remnants of organs that served a function in ancestors but are reduced or unused now.

Fossils

Remains or traces of ancient life preserved in rocks, used to infer past diversity and change.

Georges Cuvier

Founder of comparative morphology and paleobiology; advocated catastrophism.

Buffon

Natural theologian who questioned fixed body plans and proposed vestigial structures.

Malthus

Economist whose Essay on the Principle of Population influenced Darwin about competition and limits.

Selective breeding

Artificial selection by humans that shows how variation can be shaped by reproduction.

Beagle voyage

Darwin's voyage on HMS Beagle, collecting specimens and making observations.

On the Origin of Species

Darwin's 1859 book positing descent with modification and natural selection.

Modern Synthesis

Integration of Darwinian evolution with Mendelian genetics; population genetics.

Chromosome theory of inheritance

Idea that genes are located on chromosomes; fundamental to the link between genetics and evolution.

Population genetics

Study of allele frequencies in populations and how they change under evolutionary processes.

Biogeography

Study of the geographic distribution of species and how it changes over time.

Comparative morphology

Comparison of body plans to infer evolutionary relationships and function.

Homologous structures

Similar structures in different species due to common ancestry.

Glyptodonts and armadillos

Related species exemplars showing extinct forms connected to modern relatives; used by Darwin in South America.

Malthusian principle

Population potential versus actual numbers leading to competition; a driver of natural selection.

Darwinian adaptation

Heritable traits that increase survival or reproduction in a given environment.