Student Success Guide on Biodiversity and Evolution

These flashcards include key terms and definitions related to biodiversity, species concepts, and evolutionary processes to aid in understanding and preparing for exam questions.

Biodiversity

The variety of life on Earth, like the different species and ecosystems.

How does life begin?

reproduce, carrying out metabolic activity, and molecules are used energy in controlled reactions

Miller-Urey Experiment

Known the earth’s early environment resulting organic molecules are essential to life.

Self-Replicating Molecule

A molecule capable of making copies of itself, is important for the origin of life.

Biological Species Concept

A definition of species that members of a species can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, relying on reproductive isolation.

List the organisms in the Biological Species Concept

Asexual Organisms (Bacteria), Fossil Species (no test reproduction), Hybridizing Species (Plants), Ring Species (Connected populations), and Geographic Isolation (Species defined by interbreeding)

Morphological Species Concept

A definition of species based on appearance rather than reproductive isolation.

Genetic Divergence

Populations evolve differently due to varying selective pressures or genetic drift over time.

Allopatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs when populations are geographically isolated from one another.

Sympatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs in populations that live in the same geographic area.

Microspheres

Small membranes- bond formed from lipids

Reproductive Isolation

Not able for species to breed with related species leading to the formation of new species through speciation

Gene flow

the movement of genes (or genetic material) from one population to another

Prezygotic barriers

Prevents fertilization

Postzygotic Barriers

Mate, but offspring, not fertile ex.mules

genus

homo

specific epithet

Sapiens

Binomial Naming

system used to classify species by two names, comprising the genus and specific epithet made by Carl Linnaeus

List the levels of organizations

Species, Genera, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Domain

Three domains

Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, are based on genetic and cellular differences.

Adaptive Radiation

The rapid evolution of a diversity of forms from an ancestral species in response to the opening of new habitats or ecological niches.

Phylogenetic Tree

A diagram depicting the evolutionary relationships among various biological species based on their shared traits.

Speciation Event

The process through which new species arise from an ancestral species, from genetic divergence and environmental pressures.

nodes

points on a phylogenetic tree that represent common ancestors of the species that diverge from them.

Monophyletic Group

A group ancestor and all its descendants, representing a complete branch on the tree of life.

Analogous Traits

Traits that are similar due to convergent evolution, not because of a common ancestor.

Homologous Features

Body parts that share a common ancestry, even if they function differently.

Microevolution

Small scale evolution occurring within a population, often in response to environmental pressures.

Macroevolution

Larger evolutionary changes that occur over long periods, leading to the emergence of new species.

Punctuated Equilibrium

Long periods of no change but rapid evolution.

Extinction

species completely disappears

Background Extinction

Slowly and natural over time

Mass Extinction

Fast and wipes out many species at once

Microbes

microorganisms

The five kingdoms

Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.

The discovery of Archaea lead to….

the understanding of a third domain of life that is distinct from Bacteria, Archaea Eukarya,

Horizontal gene transfer in bacteria

Bacterial exchange process that allows for genetic diversity and adaptation. (cheating)