Evolution: Introduction, Theory, & Misconceptions Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, historical theories, Darwinian postulates, and misconceptions regarding evolutionary biology.

Scientific Theory

A deep, powerful explanation that applies to a broad range of observations, integrates many hypotheses and laws, and is widely supported by extensive lines of evidence.

Pattern Component

The component of a scientific theory that consists of observations made about the natural world.

Process Component

The component of a scientific theory that describes the mechanism producing an observed pattern in nature.

Scientific Law

A general description, often mathematical, explaining how observable phenomena are related without explaining why they work.

Over-arching Theory

A broad theory that encompasses many subordinate theories, such as evolutionary theory encompassing the theory of natural selection and punctuated equilibrium.

Typological Thinking

The concept, associated with Plato, that species conform to an unchanging norm and that individual variation is abnormal.

Scale of Nature

A static, ranked linear hierarchy of species up to humans at the top, proposed by Aristotle.

Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

Lamarck's model proposing that species change through time due to an inner need for perfection, passing traits acquired during their lifetime to offpsring.

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection

The landmark work published by Charles Darwin in 1859 outlining the theory of evolution via natural selection.

Common Ancestry

The principle that species share historical lineage and that species sharing a recent common ancestor tend to resemble each other, resulting in a branching pattern of life.

Darwin's Postulate of Overproduction

The principle that every species tends to produce more progeny than can survive to sexual maturity, creating a struggle for existence.

Darwin's Postulate of Phenotypic Variation

The principle that individuals within a population exhibit variations in traits such as size, shape, or other characteristics.

Darwin's Postulate of Heritability

The principle that trait variations must have a genetic basis and be passed down to the next generation.

Darwin's Postulate of Fitness Differences

The principle that survival and reproduction are non-random, where individuals with traits better adapted to their environment leave more surviving offspring.

Evolution (Descent with Modification)

The definition of evolution focusing on changes in traits or species over generations.

Evolution (Genetic Definition)

The change in allele frequencies within a population over generations.

Natural Selection

The evolutionary mechanism by which populations adapt and become better fit to their current environment.

Modern Synthesis

An early 20th-century biological synthesis that integrated Darwinian natural selection with Mendelian genetics and population genetics.

Teleological Thinking

The incorrect assumption that evolutionary processes are goal-driven or aimed at producing optimal or perfectly designed traits.

Obstetrical Dilemma

An evolutionary tradeoff in human females between pelvic constraints required for bipedalism and pelvic expansion required for giving birth to large-brained infants.

Adaptationist Paradigm

The flawed assumption that every trait of an organism is an adaptation, ignoring neutral processes, random drift, or non-adaptive side effects.