Evidence for Evolution and Biological Feedback Mechanisms Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering evolutionary evidence, natural selection, adaptation, isolation, and body feedback mechanisms based on lecture notes.

Carbon-14 Dating

A radiometric dating method used by paleontologists alongside rock layer analysis to improve age estimates of fossils.

Biogeographic Evidence

The geographical distribution pattern where species inhabiting neighboring islands resemble those on the nearest mainland, indicating descent from ancestral mainland populations.

Homologous Structures

Body parts in different species, such as bird wings and human arms, that perform different functions but share similar skeletal structures, suggesting evolution from a common ancestral structure.

Evidence for Evolution Topics

The key areas of study supporting evolutionary theory, which include fossils, biogeography, comparative anatomy, and molecular evidence.

Evolution

The process by which inherited trait changes become common within a population over generations.

Natural Selection

The process where individuals with advantageous inherited traits—such as thicker fur in cold climates or deeper roots during a drought—are more likely to survive and pass on their traits.

Adaptation

A feature or structure that develops over generations to improve survival in a specific environment, such as cacti developing thicker stems to store water in a desert.

Geographic Isolation

The physical separation of a population by a barrier, like a mountain range, which allows separated groups to evolve different traits over time.

Positive Feedback Mechanism

A biological feedback pathway that helps rapidly complete specific processes in the body.

Negative Feedback Mechanism

A biological process that counteracts a disturbance, reverses a change, and restores normal balance in the body, such as shivering to raise body temperature or sweating to cool down during a fever.