BIOL 1201 Chapter 15 - Darwin and Evolution Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, and fundamental concepts from BIOL 1201 Chapter 15 Objectives on Darwin and Evolution.

Charles Darwin

The scientist whose work established the foundations for the study of biology and evolution through the theory of natural selection.

LUCA

An acronym standing for the Last Universal Common Ancestor, representing the common origin point in the tree of life from which the three domains relate.

Evolution

The process of change over time in living organisms, described by the phrase "descent with modification" and occurring at the population level.

Descent with Modification

The phrase summarizing evolution, describing how species change over time, give rise to new species, and share a common ancestor.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area; defined as the smallest unit that can evolve.

Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck

A scientist prior to Charles Darwin who proposed early ideas regarding evolution and species change over time.

Natural Selection

The process by which individuals with certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates; it is the only mechanism of evolution that reliably leads to adaptive evolution.

Adaptive Evolution

Evolutionary change that leads to a better match between organisms and their environment, reliably caused only by natural selection.

Artificial Selection

The process of human-guided selection and breeding of specific organisms for desired traits, distinct from natural selection.

Experimental Selection

The controlled manipulation of selection pressures by researchers to observe evolutionary changes in populations over time.

Fitness

An organism's relative ability to survive and reproduce in its environment, directly driving the process of natural selection.

Direct Observations

One of the four main types of evidence supporting the pattern of evolution, involving real-time, observable evolutionary changes in living populations.

Homology

Similarity in characteristics resulting from shared common ancestry, serving as one of the four primary types of evidence for evolution.

Fossil Record

A key type of evidence for evolution consisting of documented remains or traces of past organisms that demonstrate structural changes over time.

Biogeography

The scientific study of the geographic distribution of species, providing evidence for the pattern of evolution.

Homologous Structures

Anatomical features in different species that are similar because they were inherited from a shared common ancestor.

Analogous Structures

Structures in different species that share similar functions but do not share a common evolutionary origin, arising instead via convergent evolution.

Convergent Evolution

The independent evolution of similar features in distantly related lineages due to adaptation to similar environmental pressures.

Scientific Theory

A comprehensive, broadly supported explanation of natural phenomena based on extensive observation, evidence, and repeated testing.

phenotype

phenotypic trait is heritable, it means that it is passed from parent to offspring via genetic code (DNA

Genotype

An organism genetic information

Scala naturae

ladder of life where simple occupy the lower rungs while the most complex is occupying the higher rungs

comparative anatomy

study of similar structures across a species