Exam One Study Guide

Vocab need to find definition:

1. Agglutination

2. Bioarchaeology

3. Cenozoic

4. Differential Reproductive Success

5. Disruptive Selection

6. Geological Time

7. Human Adaptation

8. hybrids

9. James Bishop Ussher

10. Male Competition vs Female Choice

11. Reproductive Surplus

12. Runaway selection

13. Structural vs Regulatory

Agglutination

Allele

Varieties of a single gene; One of two or more alternative forms of a gene

Anthropology

The scientific study of humans around the world and through time

Archaeology

The study of the human cultures through their material remains

Bioarchaeology

Biological Anthropology

The study of human evolution and biological variation through time and as it exists today

Blood Types

Classification based on the presence or absence of specific antigens on the surface of red blood cells

Catastrophism

The idea that major disasters create mass extinctions, changing the composition of life on earth (but not the form of individual species)

Cells

The basic building block of all life that makes up every living organism that has a nucleus containing chromosomes

Cenozoic

Earth’s current geological era; The Age of Mammals (65 m.y.a - current)

Charles Darwin

Created the mechanism of Natural Selection

Chromosomes

Paired lengths full of DNA, composed of multiple genes

Continuous Variation

Phenotypic variation in which there is a continuum of types; Example of this is height in humans

Creationism

The idea that all life on Earth is created at one time by a supernatural deity; Species can go extinct, but new species can NOT be created

Cultural Anthropology

The comparative, cross-cultural study of human society and culture; Describes and analyzes human beliefs about the social and material world and ways these affect human action

Differential Reproductive Success

Diploid

[Of a cell]: Containing pairs of homologous chromosomes, in which one chromosome of each pair is inherited from each parent; All primates are diploid

Haploid

[Of a cell]: Containing only one copy of each chromosome

Discontinuous Variation

Phenotypic variation in which there is a discrete number of phenotypes with no intermediate types

Disruptive Selection

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that carries hereditary information in almost all living organisms; Provides assembly instructions for who you are

Trait

A characteristic of an organism

Gene

The place (locus) on a chromosome that determines a particular trait

Dominant

Term describing an allele that masks another allele in a heterozygote

Recessive

Term describing a genetic trait masked by a dominant trait; [Of an allele] Expressed in the phenotype only when it is in the homozygous state

Codominant

When two alleles are expressed to an equal degree within an organism

Embryology

The study of embryos and their development

Equilibrium

[Of a population] A steady state in which the composition of the population does not change; Long periods of stability with occasional evolutionary leaps

Ethnography

Fieldwork in a particular cultural setting

Biological Evolution

A process of descent with modification

Cultural evolution

The development of one or more cultures from simpler to more complex forms

Forensic Anthropology

The study of human remains for purposes of identification of cause of death (C.O.D.) in a legal setting

Fossils

A trace of life that is more than 10,000 years old and preserved in rock; Fossils can be mineralized bones, plant parts, impressions of soft body parts, or tracks.

Founder Effect

A form of genetic drift that occurs when a small population colonizes a new habitat and then greatly increases in number

Gene Flow

Exchange of genetic material through interbreeding

Genetic Drift

Random change in gene frequencies due to sampling variation that occurs in any finite population; Occurs when an allele becomes more or less common simply by chance

Genetics

The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics

Genome

All the genetic information carried by an organism

Genotype

An organism’s hereditary makeup

Phenotype

The expressed biological characteristics of an organism

Geological Time

Good Genes Theory

Suggests that individuals choose mates based on traits that indicate high genetic quality, which can lead to healthier and more viable offspring

Gregor Mendal

Known as the “Father of Genetics”

Haplogroups

Lineage or branch of a genetic tree marked by one or more specific genetic mutations; Group of individuals who share a common paternal or maternal ancestor

Heritability

The quality of a characteristic being transmissible from parent to offspring

Homologous

Similarity between traits that is due to common ancestry

Homozygous

Having identical alleles of a given gene

Heterozygous

Having dissimilar alleles of a given gene

Human Adaptation

Hybrids

Intra Sexual Selection

Selection process involving competition for access to mates among members of the same sex

Inter Sexual Selection

Selection process where one sex, typically females, chooses mates based on desirable traits

James Bishop Ussher

K-T Extinction

Most recent extinction event (65 m.y.a); Also known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction

Linguistics

The study of human language and communication

Male Competition vs Female Choice

Macroevolution

Evolution of new species, families, and higher taxa

Microevolution

Evolution of populations within a species

Mitosis

Ordinary cell division

Meiosis

The process by which sex cells are produced

Molecular Anthropology

The study of human evolution, migration, and genetic diversity focusing on DNA and genetic variation

Monogenic

Involving or controlled by a single gene

Polygenic

Involving or controlled by two or more genes

Pleiotropy

The phenomenon where a single gene influences multiple phenotypic traits

Mutation

Changes in DNA molecules

Natural Selection

Evolutionary process where factors in the environment exert pressure that favors some individuals over others to produce the next generation

Nucleus

Double membraned organelle that contains chromosomes which hold the cell’s genetic material in the form of DNA

Origin Myths

A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events

Out of Africa Theory

Theory that all humans originated out of Africa

Paleoanthropology

The study of human evolution based on the fossil record

Population Bottleneck

A change in allele frequencies following a dramatic reduction in the size of a population

Primatology

The study of non-human members of the order of primates

Prokaryotes

An organism that lacks cell nuclei or separate chromosomes (ex: bacteria)

Eukaryotes

An organism whose cells have cellular organelles, cell nuclei, and chromosomes (ex all plants and animals)

Punnett Square

A diagram that uses gene (or allele) frequencies to calculate the genotypic frequencies for the next generation

Radiometric Dating

A scientific method used to determine the age of materials, such as rocks or fossils, by measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes within them.

Recombination

The creation of new genotypes as a result of the random segregation of chromosomes and of crossing-over

Reproductive Surplus

Runaway Selection

Sexual Dimorphism

Distinct difference in size or appearance between the sexes of an animal in addition to the difference between the sexual organs themselves

Sexual Selection

Mechanism of evolution under the pretext of natural selection; Has two types - Intersexual selection, and Intrasexual selection

Sexy Sons Theory

Theory that females choose potential males based on genes that will produce male offspring with the best chance of reproductive success

Somatic Cells

Cells that comprise internal organs, skin, bones, blood, and connective tissue

Gamete Cells

Reproductive cells

Species

A population whose members can interbreed to produce offspring that can live and reproduce

Stabilizing Selection

Occurs when individuals near the center of the curve have higher fitness than individuals at either end

Structural vs Regulatory

Superposition

The oldest layer of strata will be the farthest down

Uniformitarianism

Theory that geological processes occurring today are essentially the same as those in the past

Variation

A change or difference

Vestigial (features)

Features that functioned in earlier species that are now non-functional and serve little or no present purpose for an organism

Voyage of the Beagle

X vs Y Chromosome