Untitled Flashcards Set

Fossil Record

Represents the history of life on Earth recorded in the remains or traces of organisms.

Petrification

The process where living material is replaced with minerals, occurring in skeletal parts and wood.

Archareopterx

A group of fossils that are intermediates between birds and reptiles.

Eustrophteron

An amphibious fish in the fossil record.

Seymouria

A reptile-like amphibian in the fossil record.

Phyletic Gradualism

The model of evolution that describes slow, gradual changes over time.

Punctuated Equilibrium

A model proposed by Gould and Eldredge suggesting evolutionary changes occur in rapid bursts followed by long periods of stability.

Analogous Structures

Structures that serve the same purpose but are not constructed similarly and do not share a common ancestor.

Vestigial Structures

Features that are no longer needed in an organism's current form.

Biogeographical Evidence

Evidence from the geographical distribution of species that supports evolution.

Homologous Structures

Structures in different species that are similar due to shared ancestry.

Living Fossils

Organisms that resemble their fossil ancestors and have changed little over time, like cynobacteria.

George Gaylord Simpson's Estimate

Estimated that 99.9% of all species will eventually become extinct.

Geographical Isolation

A mechanism that allows speciation by isolating populations, preventing gene flow.