AP Biology Unit 7: Natural Selection

These flashcards cover key concepts related to natural selection and evolution, aligning with the AP Biology curriculum.

Natural Selection

A mechanism of evolution where individuals better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce.

Evolutionary Fitness

Measured by reproductive success; individuals with favorable traits are more likely to reproduce.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

Model for describing and predicting allele frequencies in nonevolving populations under specific conditions.

Artificial Selection

Process by which humans modify other species over generations through selective breeding for desired traits.

Selective Pressure

Environmental factors that favor certain traits in a population, influencing genetic changes over time.

Speciation

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

Gene Flow

The transfer of alleles or genes from one population to another, affecting genetic diversity.

Genetic Drift

Random changes in allele frequencies in a population, often significant in small populations.

Allopatric Speciation

The formation of new species due to geographic isolation.

Sympatric Speciation

The formation of new species without geographic isolation, often through reproductive isolation mechanisms.