Introduction to Evolution and Natural Selection

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers basic biological domains, the distinction between scientific theories and hypotheses, and core components of evolution by natural selection as discussed in the lecture.

Bacteria

One of the currently recognized domains of life consisting of prokaryotic cells.

Archaea

One of the currently recognized domains of life consisting of prokaryotic cells.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation for something that typically has less evidence than a theory and a more narrow scope.

Theory

A foundational idea in science that has been very rigorously tested and is used to explain specific biological concepts.

Evolution

Change in the genetic characteristics or genetic frequency of a population over generations.

Natural Selection

One of the mechanisms of evolution involving genetic variation and differential reproductive success within a environment.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species that are all interbreeding with each other.

Genetic Variation

The first requirement for natural selection, meaning that individuals within a population vary in traits that are encoded in their DNA.

Differential Reproductive Success

The concept that some individuals within a population reproduce more and have more offspring than other individuals.

Biological Fitness

A measure of how many successfully reproduced offspring an individual has; also referred to as reproductive success.

Erythroid

A broad class of pesticides used to kill mosquitoes, to which certain populations are evolving resistance.

Cell Theory

One of the foundational ideas in biology used alongside the theory of evolution and germ theory of disease.

Germ Theory of Disease

A foundational idea in biology used to explain rigorously tested concepts.