Chapter 22

biological evolution (or evolution)

a heritable change in one or more characteristics in a population of organisms form one generation to the next

microevolution

changes in a single gene or in allele frequencies from generation to generation

macroevolution

formation of a new species or groups of related species

molecular evolution

process of evolution at the level of genes and proteins

empirical thought

relies on observation to form an idea or hypothesis, rather than trying to understand phenomena from a nonphysical or spiritual point of view

species

group of related organisms that share a distinctive form

population

members of a species that live in the same area at the same time and have the opportunity to interbreed

What did John Ray develop in the mid- to late- 1600s?

an early classification system for plants and animals based on anatomy and physiology

Who came up with the inheritance of acquired characteristics?

Jean-baptiste lamarck

inheritance of acquired characteristics

organisms can alter their behavior in response to environmental changes; behavioral changes could modify traits and these modified traits could be inherited by offspring

natural selection

individuals with heritable traits that make them better suited to their natural environment ted to flourish and reproduce, where other individuals are less likely to survive and reproduce

selective breeding

programs and procedures designed to modigy traits in domesticated species

artificial selection

programs and procedures designed to modify traits in domesticated species

what is the primary difference between natural and artificial selection?

how parents are chosen

feralization

process by which a domesticated species becomes able to survive and proliferate in the wild without human care

biogeography

study of geography distribution of extinct and living species

endemic

refers to species that are naturally found only in a particular place or region

convergent evolution

two species from difference lineages independently develop similar characteristics because they occupy similar environments

analogous structures/convergent traits

arise independently two or more times because species have occupied similar types of environments on Earth

transitional form

an organism that provides a link between earlier and later forms in evolution

homology

similarity that is due to descent from a common ancestor

homologous structures

Structures that are similar to each other because they are derived from the same ancestral structure.

vestigial structure

An anatomical feature whose function is reduced or absent but that resembles a structure of a presumed ancestor.

molecular homologies

Similarities at the molecular level that indicate that living species evolved from a common ancestor or an interrelated group of ancestors.

homologous genes

Genes derived from the same ancestral gene that have accumulated random mutations that make their sequences slightly different.

orthologs

Homologous genes found in different species.

vertical evolution

A type of evolution in which genetic changes occur in a series of related species that form a lineage; species evolve from pre-existing species by the accumulation of genetic changes.

horizontal gene transfer

A process in which an organism incorporates genetic material from another organism without being the offspring of that organism.