Darwin's Theory of Evolution

These flashcards cover key concepts from Darwin's theory of evolution, including terminology associated with natural selection, adaptive radiation, and genetics.

Natural Selection

The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Adaptive Radiation

Rapid evolutionary diversification within one lineage, producing many descendant species that have adapted to a wide variety of habitats.

Geospiza

A genus of finches that are found primarily in the Galapagos Islands, characterized by variations in beak shape and feeding habits.

Variation

Individual differences within a species that contribute to evolutionary changes.

Inheritance

The transmission of genetic information from parents to offspring.

Differential Survival

The concept that not all individuals have the same likelihood of survival due to variations in traits.

Extinction

The end of an organism or group of organisms, often resulting from failure to adapt.

Descent with Modification

The principle that each generation of organisms is modified from those of previous generations.

Observable Traits

Traits that can be measured and observed in an individual, contributing to the understanding of evolutionary changes.

Speciation

The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.

Galapagos Islands

An archipelago where Darwin observed diverse species of finches, leading to his theory of evolution.

Heredity

The genetic transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring.

Transitional Forms

Fossils or organisms that show intermediary states between an ancestral form and its descendants.

Mendelian Genetics

The principles of heredity and genetic variation established by Gregor Mendel through his experiments with pea plants.

Artificial Selection

The selective breeding of plants and animals by humans to promote the occurrence of desirable traits in offspring.

Mutation

A random change in the DNA sequence that serves as the ultimate source of new genetic variation in a population.

Genetic Drift

A mechanism of evolution involving random changes in allele frequencies, which has a more pronounced effect in small populations.

Gene Flow

The transfer of alleles or genes from one population to another, typically through the migration of individuals.

Fitness

A measure of an individual's hereditary contribution to the next generation, often quantified by reproductive success.

Homologous Structures

Body parts in different species that are similar in structure due to shared ancestry, even if their functions differ.

Analogous Structures

Body parts that share a common function but not a common evolutionary origin, resulting from convergent evolution.

Vestigial Structures

Remnants of structures that served a function in an