Evolution Test Review

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions and concepts related to evolution.

Evolution

The process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.

Natural Selection

A mechanism of evolution described as 'survival of the fittest'.

Adaptation

A change in allele frequency over time.

Fitness

An organism's ability to survive and reproduce.

Competition

An interaction between organisms or species in which both require a resource that is in limited supply.

Directional Selection

A type of selection that favors one extreme phenotype.

Disruptive Selection

A type of selection that favors both extreme phenotypes.

Stabilizing Selection

A type of selection that favors the average phenotype.

Artificial Selection

Selection by humans for breeding of useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms.

Comparative Anatomy

The study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species.

Biogeography

The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time.

Fossils

The preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms.

Embryology

The study of the development of embryos from fertilization to birth.

Biochemistry

The study of the chemical processes within and relating to living organisms.

Homologous Structures

Body parts in different species that are inherited from a common ancestor.

Analogous Structures

Body parts in different species that serve similar functions but evolved separately.

Vestigial Structures

Structures that are inherited from a common ancestor but serve no current purpose.

Genetic Drift

A change in the allele frequency of a population due to random chance.

Gene Flow

Movement of alleles into or out of a population due to migration.

Population Bottleneck Effect

A population is drastically reduced to a very low number and then rebounds.

Founder Effect

Accounts for large genetic variations in isolated populations due to a small number of colonizers.

Punctuated Equilibrium

Rapid change in population of organisms followed by periods of slow or no change.

Gradualism

Shows slow, steady change within a population over time.

Convergent Evolution

The evolution of similar traits in unrelated lineages.

Divergent Evolution

The process of two or more related species becoming more dissimilar.

Coevolution

Cases where two or more species reciprocally affect each other's evolution.