Evolution and Biodiversity

45 vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the 'Evolution and Biodiversity' lecture notes.

Prokaryotic cells

Cells without a nucleus, considered primitive, like bacteria and archaea.

Eukaryotic cells

Cells with a nucleus and internal structures.

Taxonomy

The system of classifying life, including Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Specific name.

Scientific Name

A formal, two-part name for a species, formatted as Genus species (with the specific name in lowercase).

Species

Organisms that have the potential/ability to produce fertile offspring.

Chemical Evolution

The initial formation of life, involving small and large organic molecules, leading to protocells over approximately 1 billion years.

Biological Evolution

The evolution of life from single-cell prokaryotes to multicellular eukaryotes colonizing land, occurring over approximately 3.7 billion years.

Oxygen Revolution

The event where photosynthetic bacteria produced oxygen, leading to the formation of the ozone layer and tropospheric oxygen.

Fossil Record

A tool scientists use to understand past life forms on Earth.

Radioactive Dating

A tool scientists use to determine the age of geological samples and past life.

Evolution

A change in the genetic makeup of a population through successive generations.

DNA

The molecule that carries genetic information in the sequences of its nucleotides.

Genes

Sequences of DNA that code for heritable traits.

Gene Pool

A population's entire collection of genes.

Alleles

Different forms of a gene, which are randomly shuffled during sexual reproduction.

Variation/Variability

The key ingredient within a population that allows evolution to occur.

Mutation

A random, rare, and almost always lethal change in the DNA structure of an individual.

Mutagens

Certain chemicals and energies that cause mutations.

Gene Flow

The movement of genes between populations.

Natural Selection

The process where traits enabling some individuals to survive and produce more offspring become more prevalent.

Heritability

The requirement for natural selection that traits can be passed on to offspring.

Reproductive Advantage / Differential Reproduction

The ability of individuals with advantageous traits to produce more offspring.

Selective Pressure

Environmental conditions that can make certain mutations beneficial.

Adaptation / Adaptive Trait

A beneficial mutation that increases an individual's chances of survival and reproduction.

Directional Selection

Natural selection where environmental conditions lead to allele frequencies at one end of the variability range becoming more prevalent.

Stabilizing Selection

Natural selection that eliminates individuals on the extremes of variability.

Diversifying / Disruptive Selection

Natural selection where extreme traits are favored, and the average trait is eliminated.

Adaptive Radiation

The rapid evolution of numerous new species to fill ecological voids created by mass extinctions or depletions.

Coevolution

When different species evolve together based on each other's adaptations over time.

Niche

An organism's 'job' or what it does in its ecosystem, as opposed to where it lives.

Habitat

The specific place where an organism lives.

Fundamental Niche

The potential range of conditions and resources an organism could use.

Realized Niche

The actual range of conditions and resources an organism uses due to interactions with other species or limiting factors.

Generalist

An organism with a broad niche, able to utilize diverse resources and tolerate varied conditions (e.g., raccoons).

Specialist

An organism with a narrow niche, having specific needs and often dependent on particular resources.

Convergent Evolution

The phenomenon where similar ecosystems present similar selective pressures, leading to similarities between different taxonomic groups.

Speciation

The process where natural selection leads to the development of two new species from one, often involving geographic and reproductive isolation.

Extinction

The permanent loss of a species from Earth.

Background Extinction

The typical, ongoing rate of species extinction that occurs naturally.

Mass Extinction

A widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth, often followed by adaptive radiation.

Artificial Selection

The process by which humans deliberately select and breed organisms for desired traits (e.g., poodles, purple tomatoes).

Genetic Engineering

The process of inserting genes from one organism into another, producing a genetically modified (transgenic) organism.

Biodiversity

The variety of genes in a population, variety of species (richness), variety of ecosystems, and variety of roles in an ecosystem.

Habitat Fragmentation

Occurs when a large area of habitat is broken into many smaller, more isolated areas, increasing edge habitat.

Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973

A U.S. law making it illegal to hunt, kill, injure, sell/buy any products from, or damage the habitat of endangered species.