Macroevolution

Microevolution,Small changes within a species over time;

Macroevolution,Changes leading to new species over geological time;

Miller-Urey Experiment,Simulated early Earth conditions to synthesize organic molecules;

Primordial Soup,Theoretical ancient ocean rich in organic compounds;

Homology,Structural similarity due to common ancestry;

Homoplasy,Structural similarity due to convergent evolution;

Embryology,Study of organism development supporting evolutionary theory;

Biogeography,Distribution of species supporting shared ancestry;

Fossil Record,Physical evidence of past life forms;

Eon,Division of Earth's history (e.g., Phanerozoic, Proterozoic);

Era,Larger division of time within an eon (e.g., Cenozoic, Mesozoic);

Period,Medium division within an era (e.g., Triassic, Jurassic);

Epoch,Smaller division within a period (e.g., Holocene, Pleistocene);

Cambrian Explosion,Rapid diversification of life in the Cambrian period;

P-T Extinction,Permian-Triassic mass extinction (95% species loss);

K-T Extinction,Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction (dinosaurs die);

Pangaea,Supercontinent existing 200 million years ago;

Phylogeny,Tree representing evolutionary relationships;

Allopatric Speciation,Speciation due to geographic separation;

Sympatric Speciation,Speciation without geographic barriers;

Gradualism,Slow evolutionary changes over time;

Punctuated Equilibrium,Rapid evolutionary changes followed by stability;

Adaptive Radiation,Diversification of species into new ecological niches;

Species,Biological grouping that can interbreed;

Prezygotic Barrier,Factor preventing mating between species;

Postzygotic Barrier,Factor preventing viable offspring;

Cladistics,Method for grouping organisms by shared traits;

Synapomorphy,Shared derived trait for species grouping;

Plesiomorphy,Primitive trait not useful for grouping;

Autapomorphy,Unique trait not shared with ancestors or relatives;

Parsimony,Principle of choosing simplest evolutionary tree;

Node-Based Clade,Group including common ancestor and all descendants;

Stem-Based Clade,Group more closely related to one taxon than another;

Character Optimization,Process of mapping traits onto a phylogenetic tree;

Polytomy,Unresolved branching in a phylogenetic tree;

Apomorphy-Based Clade,Group defined by a unique derived trait;

DELTRAN Optimization,Method prioritizing convergent evolution;

ACCTRAN Optimization,Method prioritizing trait losses or reversals;