chemical evolution
production of molecules that were able to act as templates to form similar molecules by random inorganic chemical recations
metabolism
all the chemical reactions that occur in an organism
photosynthesis
the process in which energy from the sun is used to produce organic molecules that can be used to power the metabolism of an organism
endosymbiosis
the process in which eukaryotic cells arose from prokaryotic cells
continental drift
the movement of plates and the continents they contain
pangea
supercontinent formed 275 million years ago by a massive eruption which triggered in a massive glaciation
glacier
extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and accumulating
meteorite
remains of rock from space
bipedalism
the ability to walk erect on two legs
biota
all living organisms including flora and fauna
systematics
the scientific study of the diversity of living organisms and their relationships including taxonomy and phylogeny
phylogenetic tree
graphic representation of lines of descent among organisms
phylogeny
evolutionary relationships of a group of organisms
taxonomy
the science of naming and classifying organisms
binomial nomenclature
a two name system of classifying organisms by their genus and species
species
a group of organisms that can interbreed under natural conditions
ancestral trait
trait shared by a group of organisms as a result of descent from a common ancestor
derived trait
traits found among members of a lineage that was not present in ancestors of that lineage
taxon
a group in classification
monophyletic taxon
a single ancestor which gives rise to all species of a taxon
polyphyletic taxon
species of a taxon that come from two or more ancestral forms
paraphyletic taxon
a taxon that excludes species that share a common ancestor that gave rise to that species in that taxon
clade
monophyletic group made up of an ancestor and all of its descendants, forming a distinct branch of a phylogenetic tree
cladistics
school of systematics that uses derived traits to determine monophyletic groups and construct cladograms
cladogram
branching diagram in cladistics that shows relationships among species in regard to their shared derived traits
evolutionary agent
force that causes the genetic structure of a population to change
gene pool
total of all genes in a population at one time
heterotroph
an organism that cannot produce its own food and must depend on an outside source for nutrients
autotroph
an organism that has the ability to produce their own food
mass extinctions
the dying out of a large number of species within a relatively short period of time
bacteria
domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing peptidoglycan that can be autotropic or heterotrophic
archaebacteria
domain or kingdom of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls without peptidoglycan that can be autotrophic or heterotrophic
eukarya
domain of all organisms whose cells have nuclei, including protists, plants, fungi, and animals and can be heterotrophic or autotrophic
protista
a kingdom of unicellular and multicellular eukaryotic organisms with mixed cell structure that can be heterotrophic or autotrophic
plantae
kingdom of multicellular eukaryotic organisms that have cell walls containing cellulose that are autotrophic
animalia
kingdom of multicellular eukaryotic organisms whose cells do not have cell walls and are heterotrophic
fungi
a kingdom of unicellular and multicellular eukaryotic organisms with a cell wall made of chitin that are heterotrophic
eubacteria
kingdom of unicellular prokaryotes whose cell walls are made up of peptidoglycan that can be heterotrophic or autotrophic
plate
forty kilometer thick components of the earth's crust that float on the fluid mantle
mantle
the fluid that the solid plates of earth's crust float on
molecular clock
model looking at the similarity of nucleotide sequences to determine when two lineages diverged
multicellularity
a condition of being composed of many cells or more than one cell performing different functions
prokaryotes
unicellular organisms that lack a nucleus and membrane bound organelles
eukaryotes
organisms made up of one or more cells that have a nucleus and membrane bound organelles
natural selection
mechanism for evolution in which there is an unequal survival and reproduction based on genetic differences among individuals
adaptations
characteristics that allow organisms to survive and reproduce
flora
the plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period
fauna
the animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period