Honors Biology Semester Test

Natural selection

Process where nature selects organisms better suited for their environment

Artificial selection

Breeders choose the best organisms for specific traits

Adaptation

Feature allowing organisms to survive in the wild

Fitness

Individual's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment

Speciation

Formation of a new species from an existing one

Convergent evolution

Unrelated species look alike due to similar environments

Divergent evolution

Related species look different due to different environments

Coevolution

Species evolve in response to each other due to close relationship

Extinction

Elimination of a species; gradual or mass extinction

Gradualism

Slow evolution process

Punctuated equilibrium

Sudden burst of evolution

Sexual selection

Female choice of the best male

Homologous structures

Structurally similar but serve different purposes

Vestigial structures

Remains of once-used structures

Fossils

Remnants of ancient species

Phylogeny

Evolutionary history of an organism

Taxonomy

Scientific classification of organisms

Phylogenetic tree

Diagram predicting evolutionary relationships

Overproduction of offspring

Multiple offspring, few survive

Variation

Genetic diversity for species' survival

Adaptation

Feature for better survival

Descent with modification

Passing beneficial adaptations to offspring

Directional selection

Nature selects extreme phenotypes

Disruptive selection

Nature selects two extreme phenotypes

Stabilizing selection

Nature selects average phenotypes

Mitosis

Produces genetically identical daughter cells

Meiosis

Produces genetically unique cells with half DNA

Types of Prokaryotic Cells

Bacteria, Archaea

Scientific Experiments

Independent variable, dependent variable, control group, constant

Amino Acids

AUG start codon, UAG, UAA, UGA stop codons