The Fundamentals of Evolution

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the fundamentals of biological evolution, historical theories, types of evidence, and mechanisms of change.

Evolution

The process by which species change over time through adaptation to their environment.

Adaptation

A special feature or behavior that helps a living thing survive and do well in its environment.

Macroevolution

Large-scale changes that occur over extended time periods, such as the formation of new species and groups.

Microevolution

Small-scale changes that affect just one or a few genes and happen in populations over shorter timescales.

Zoonomia

The book written by Erasmus Darwin ($1731-1802$) which put forward the idea of a common ancestor for life on Earth.

Lamarckism (Hypothesis 1)

The hypothesis of Use and Disuse of Body Parts, suggesting that organs used more become bigger and more efficient, while unused ones disappear.

Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

Lamarck's second hypothesis stating that physical (phenotypic) changes acquired by a parent during its lifetime are passed to offspring.

Natural Selection

The process by which the environment favors the survival of individuals best adapted to environmental conditions, leading to successful reproduction.

On the Origin of Species ($1859$)

The book published by Charles Darwin which shaped the modern understanding of evolution based on his voyage on the HMS Beagle.

Transitional Fossils

Fossils that show a link between different taxonomic groups by sharing a mixture of traits, such as Archaeopteryx or Thrinaxodon.

Biogeography

The study of the geographical distribution of extant and extinct species and the evolutionary patterns behind their locations.

Homologous Structures

Anatomical structures that are similar in structure and share the same evolutionary origin, though they may serve different functions.

Analogous Structures

Anatomical structures that perform the same function and look similar superficially but have different evolutionary origins and internal structures.

Divergent Evolution

The process where a structure from a common ancestor is modified over time to serve different functions in different environments.

Convergent Evolution

The process where structurally different organisms develop similar functions due to similar selective pressures in their environments.

Vestigial Organs

Organs inherited from ancestors that are present in modern organisms but are greatly reduced and no longer used, such as the human appendix or coccyx.

Clade

A single branch of an evolutionary tree consisting of a common ancestor and all its descendants.

Adaptive Radiation

A burst of divergence from a single lineage where many new species evolve to fill empty or new ecological niches.

Gradualism

Darwin's model of evolution suggesting that populations change slowly and constantly through small accumulations of change over long periods.

Punctuated Equilibrium

The theory proposed by Stephen Jay Gould where evolution occurs in sudden bursts of change between long periods of stasis (no change).

Industrial Melanism

An evolutionary instance of color variation where dark-colored populations increase due to industrial pollution, exemplified by the peppered moth.

Polyploidy

An evolutionary mechanism involving the doubling or trebling of chromosomes ($4n$, $6n$), common in plants like strawberries and wheat.

Gene Flow

The movement of genes between populations through the migration of organisms or the dispersal of gametes like wind-blown pollen.

Genetic Drift

A mechanism of evolution producing random changes in allele frequencies in a population due to chance, rather than natural selection.

Bottleneck Effect

A type of genetic drift that occurs when a population's size is drastically reduced by a natural disaster, resulting in a loss of genetic variation.

Founder Effect

A type of genetic drift that occurs when a small group of individuals splits from a larger population to colonize a new area.

Artificial Selection

The human-guided process of breeding organisms with desirable traits to produce offspring for specific purposes, such as agriculture or pets.

Neoteny

The retention of immature characteristics into adulthood, such as tameness and playfulness, which humans selected for during the domestication of dogs.