history of life, systematics, mechanisms of evolution vocabulary

quiz ~ 3/8/2023

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