Genetics and Evolution – Key Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards summarising essential genetic and evolutionary terms discussed in the lecture notes.

Genetic variation

Differences in alleles (genotypes) among individuals or populations.

Gene pool

The complete set of alleles for all genes present in a population.

Natural selection

Process where individuals with advantageous phenotypes survive and reproduce more, altering allele frequencies.

Selective pressure

An environmental factor that influences differential survival or reproduction (e.g., predators, climate).

Fitness (evolutionary)

An individual’s ability to survive and produce fertile offspring under specific environmental conditions.

Artificial selection

Human-directed breeding that favors desired phenotypes, mimicking natural selection.

Reproductive isolation

Barriers preventing gene flow between populations, allowing genetic divergence and speciation.

Species

A group of organisms capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring.

Fossil record

The total collection of fossils that documents the history of life and evolutionary transitions.

Comparative anatomy

Study of similarities and differences in body structures among species to infer evolutionary relationships.

Homologous structure

Body part shared by different species with similar underlying anatomy due to common ancestry.

Vestigial structure

A reduced or non-functional remnant of a structure that was functional in ancestral species.

Biogeography

The study of the geographic distribution of past and present species.

Selective advantage

A phenotype that increases an individual’s fitness under a specific selective pressure.

Transitional form

A fossil or organism showing intermediate features between ancestral and derived groups.

Selective agent

The entity (natural factor or breeder) that chooses which individuals reproduce, driving selection.