Biology 192 Exam Review: Evolution and the Scientific Method

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to the scientific method, evolution, and population genetics.

Scientific Method

A systematic process for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.

Hypothesis

A proposed explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested through experimentation.

Natural Selection

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

Genetic Drift

Random fluctuations in allele frequencies in a population, which can lead to the loss of genetic diversity.

Gene Flow

The transfer of genetic variation from one population to another, often through migration.

Population Bottleneck

A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events, resulting in reduced genetic diversity.

Founder Effect

The reduced genetic diversity that occurs when a small group of individuals establishes a new population.

Fitness

The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment relative to other genotypes.

Directional Selection

Natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over others, leading to a shift in the phenotype distribution.

Stabilizing Selection

Natural selection that favors intermediate phenotypes, reducing variation and maintaining the status quo.

Disruptive Selection

Natural selection that favors extreme phenotypes at both ends of the spectrum, potentially leading to speciation.

Microevolution

Evolutionary change within a species or small group of organisms, often through mechanisms like natural selection or genetic drift.

Macroevolution

Evolutionary change on a large scale, including the origin of new species and groups through speciation.

Sympatric Speciation

The evolution of a new species from a surviving ancestral species while both continue to inhabit the same geographic region.

Allopatric Speciation

The formation of new species through the physical separation of populations.

Homoplasy

Similar traits arising in unrelated organisms due to convergent evolution, not common ancestry.

Allele Frequency

The proportion of a specific allele among all allele copies in a population.

Null Hypothesis

A general statement that there is no relationship between two measured phenomena, often used in hypothesis testing.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

A principle stating that allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences.