AP Bio Evolution

Natural Selection

The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Artificial Selection

The intentional breeding of animals or plants to produce desirable traits.

Genetic Drift

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

Gene Flow

The transfer of genetic variation from one population to another.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence of an organism's genome.

Nonrandom Mating

Mating that occurs based on specific traits or characteristics of individuals.

Population Size

The number of individuals in a population, which affects genetic drift and evolutionary dynamics.

Bottleneck Effect

A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events, leading to reduced genetic diversity.

Founder Effect

The loss of genetic variation when a small group from a larger population establishes a new population.

Stabilizing Selection

Natural selection that favors average individuals in a population.

Directional Selection

Natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over the mean or other extreme phenotypes.

Evolutionary Trade-off

A situation where an adaptive trait allows survival in one area but may pose disadvantages in another context.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

The principle stating that allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant in the absence of evolutionary influences.

Lethal Recessive Gene

A gene that can cause death in a homozygous state but can be carried by heterozygous individuals.

Polydactyly

A genetic condition characterized by the presence of extra fingers or toes.

Lamarck’s Theory

The idea that organisms can pass on traits acquired during their lifetime to their offspring.

Descent with Modification

Darwin's concept that species change over time and new species arise from existing ones.

HMS Beagle

The ship on which Charles Darwin made his observations that led to the theory of evolution.

Sexual Reproduction

A biological process where offspring are produced through the combination of genetic material from two parents.

Intrasexual Selection

Competition among individuals of one sex for mating opportunities with the opposite sex.

Intersexual Selection

Selection based on the preference of one sex for certain qualities in mates.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.

Species

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Prezygotic Isolation

Mechanisms that prevent mating or fertilization between species.

Postzygotic Isolation

Mechanisms that occur after fertilization to prevent the production of viable offspring.

Allopatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs when populations are geographically isolated.

Sympatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs within a shared habitat.

Adaptive Radiation

The evolution of a variety of forms from an ancestral species adapted to different environments.

Phylogeny

The evolutionary history and relationships among species.

Cladistics

A method of classification based on the construction of cladograms to show the evolutionary relationships.

Clade

A group of organisms that includes an ancestor and all its descendants.

Divergent Evolution

The process where two or more related species become more dissimilar.

Convergent Evolution

The process where unrelated species evolve similar traits due to similar environments.

Coevolution

The process in which two or more species influence each other's evolutionary changes.

Homologous Structures

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

Analogous Structures

Structures in different species that serve similar functions but do not share a common ancestry.

Vestigial Structures

Remnants of organs or structures that had a function in an earlier ancestor.

Homologous Proteins

Proteins that share a common ancestry but may have different functions in different organisms.

Linnaean Classification

A hierarchical system for naming and classifying organisms based on shared characteristics.

ABIogenesis

The process by which life arises naturally from non-living matter.

Photosynthesis Evolution

The process by which organisms convert light energy into chemical energy, significantly changing Earth's atmosphere.

Protobionts

The simple organic molecules that are thought to have preceded life.

Deep-Sea Vents

Locations on the seafloor where mineral-rich water escapes, hypothesized as a site for the origin of life.

Malthus’s influence on Darwin

The idea that populations grow exponentially while resources grow arithmetically

Wallace

a naturalist who independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection, prompting Darwin to publish his own ideas.

evidence that convinced Darwin that species change overtime

fossil records, geographic distribution, variation within population

Domain of humans

Eukarya

Kingdom of humans

Animalia

Phylum of humans

Chordata

Class of humans

Mammalia

Order of humans

Primates

Family of humans

Hominidae

Genus of humans

Homo

Species of humans

Homo sapiens 1

1st stage of the origin of life on earth hypothesis

abiotic synthesis of simple organic molecules from inorganic compounds

2nd stage of the origin of life on earth hypothesis

joining of small molecules into macromolecules

3rd stage of the origin of life on earth hypothesis

packaging of macromolecules into protocells

4th stage of the origin of life on earth hypothesis

origin of self replicating molecules

Oparin and Miller’s contributions

how organic compounds could form from simple atmospheric gases