Evolution Vocabulary Terms

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental terms and concepts in evolution based on the lecture notes.

Speciation

The formation of a new biological species.

Mutation

A change in an organism caused by a change in a gene or a chromosome.

Variation

A different form of a trait.

Creationism

The doctrine that matter and all living things were created, exactly as they exist now, by an omnipotent Creator, WITHOUT gradually evolution or development.

Gene

The basic unit of heredity.

Neutral mutation

Mutations that have no effect on the affect organism.

Deleterious mutation

Mutations that hinder the organism's ability to survive and reproduce.

Lethal mutation

A mutation that prevents an organism from surviving at all.

Evolution

A change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by processes such as mutation, natural selection and genetic drift.

Microevolution

Involves processes of evolutionary changes within populations which results in shifts at the DNA level and lead to the sorts of variations that we see within species.

Advantageous mutation

Mutations that provide a bonus for the organism and its fitness increases.

Heredity

The study of how information gets passed on from generation to generation.

Macroevolution

Involves process of evolutionary change that result on a much larger scale which need to be considered over a long geological time. An example would be the emergence of land creatures from sea creatures.

Fixation

The replacement of a population with one gene.

Artificial selection

A process in the breeding of animals and in the cultivation of plants by which one chooses to breed only those forms having certain desirable inheritable traits.

Antibiotic resistance

The ability of bacteria or other microbes to resist the effects of an antibiotic.

Naturalist

A person who studies or is an expert in natural history, especially a zoologist or biologist.

Genetic drift

Random changes in the frequency of alleles in a gene pool, usually of small populations.

Natural selection

A process that is driven by the following factors: the production of a large number of offspring; natural variation within a population; limited resources and the struggle for survival; and selection by the environment for those traits that enable the individual to survive and reproduce.

Adaptation

A change in an organism that results from natural selection and allows them to become better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment.