Evolutionary Concepts and Theories

Flashcards covering key concepts, terminology, and theories related to evolution as discussed in the lecture notes.

Descent with Modification

A principle that suggests species accumulate differences from their ancestors as they adapt to different environments over generations.

Natural Selection

A process where individuals with certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates.

Lamarckian Evolution

An incorrect theory proposed by Lamarck that traits acquired in one's lifetime can be passed on to offspring.

Genetic Drift

A mechanism of evolution that involves random changes in allele frequencies within a population.

Homology

Similarities in species that are descended from a common ancestor.

Vestigial Traits

Reduced or incompletely developed structures in an organism that have no or reduced function compared to functioning organs in related species.

Biogeography

The scientific study of the geographic distribution of species, providing evidence for evolution.

Artificial Selection

The process by which humans breed organisms for specific traits.

Fitness

The ability of an individual to produce surviving, fertile offspring relative to others in the population.

Transitional Features

Traits in fossil species that are intermediate between ancestral and derived species.

Convergent Evolution

The evolution of similar traits in distantly related groups due to independent adaptation to similar environments.

Extinction

The process through which a species no longer exists, providing evidence that species are dynamic and change over time.

Allele

An alternative form of a gene that occupies a specific position on a specific chromosome.

Population

A group of organisms of the same species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time.

Adaptations

Inherited characteristics that enhance survival and reproduction in specific environments.

Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

Proposed by Darwin and Wallace, explaining how species change over time through natural processes.