Vertebrate Zoology - Lecture 1, Introduction

Other flashcards for this class can be found under the tag "11:216:325"

Extant

Living (as opposed to extinct)

Binomial Nomenclature

An italicized genus name and species epithet

Example: Tyrannosaurus rex, shortened to T. rex

What is the unit of evolution?

Hint: Natural selection acts on the phenotypes present within what?

Population

Populations, not individuals, evolve.

Speciation

Formation of new species

Allopatric Speciation

A form of speciation that occurs when there are physical barriers (such as impassable mountains) to gene flow within a population

Example: Ensatina salamanders

Sympatric Speciation

A form of speciation that occurs without a physical barrier to gene flow.

There is a persistent mechanism that prevents individuals from reproducing int he same place, leading to reproductive isolation.

Example: Northern Pacific Orcas

Basal (Phylogeny)

Referring to taxa closer to the root of a particular phylogenetic tree

Homology

Similarity between different taxa based on shared ancestry

Example: The bones of the tetrapod limb

Analogy

Independently evolved similar trades (NOT based on shared ancestry)

Example: Dorsal fins in marine veretebrates