Anthropology- Chapter 2 Reading

Key terms from the chapter 2 reading

Allele

“A nonidentical DNA sequence found in the same gene location on a homologous chromosome, or gene copy, that codes for the same trait but produces a different phenotype”

Artificial selection

“The identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals, and the subsequent steps taken to enhance and perpetrate those traits in future generations”

Binomial nomenclature

“A system of classification in which a species of animal or plant receives a name consisting of two terms: the first identifies the genus to which it belongs, and the second identifies the species”

Carrying Capacity

The number of living organisms, including animals, crops, and humans that a geographic area can support without environmental degradation

Catastrophism

The theory that the Earth’s geology has largely been shaped by sudden, short-lived, violent events, possibly worldwide in scope. Compare to uniformitarianism

Comparative anatomy

Georges-Louis Leclerc’s technique of comparing similar anatomical structures across different species

Creationism

The belief that the universe and all living organisms originate from specific acts of divine creation, as in the Biblical account, rather than by natural processes such as evolution

Empiricism

The idea that all learning and knowledge derives from experience and observation. It became prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries in western Europe due to the rise of experimental science

Evolution

In a biological sense, this term refers to cumulative inherited change in a population of organisms through time. More specifically, evolution is defined as a change in allele (gene) frequencies from one generation to the next among members of an interbreeding population

Extant

: Still in existence; surviving

Extinct

Said of a species, family, or other group of animals or plants that has no living members; no longer in existence

Fixity of Species

The idea that a species, once created, remains unchanged over time

Gene:

A sequence of DNA that provides coding information for the construction of proteins

Genetic drift

: Random changes in allele frequencies within a population from one generation to the next

Gene flow

The introduction of new genetic material into a population through interbreeding between two distinct populations

Gene pool

The entire collection of genetic material in a breeding community that can be passed from one generation to the next

Genotype

: The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material—its unique sequence of DNA. Genotype also refers to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location

Hybrid

Offspring of parents that differ in genetically determined traits.

Intelligent design

A pseudoscientific set of beliefs based on the notion that life on earth is so complex that it cannot be explained by the scientific theory of evolution and therefore must have been designed by a supernatural entity

Macroevolution

Microevolution

Changes in the frequency of a gene or allele in an interbreeding population

Modern synthesis

The mid–20th century merging of Mendelian genetics with Darwinian evolution that resulted in a unified theory of evolution.

Natural selection

The natural process by which the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups within an interbreeding population that are best adjusted to their environment leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment at that point in time

Phenotype

The detectable or visible expression of an organism’s genotype.

Scientific method

A method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting of systematic observation, measurement, experimentation, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

Speciation

The process by which new genetically distinct species evolve from the main population, usually through geographic isolation or other barriers to gene flow

Species

A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial (e.g., Homo sapiens)

Uniformitarianism

The theory that changes in the earth’s crust during geologic history have resulted from the action of continuous and uniform processes—such as wind, precipitation, evaporation, condensation, erosion, and volcanic action—that continue to act in the present. Compare to catastrophism