Evolutionary Biology and Viral Classification

Flashcards covering key concepts in evolutionary biology, including selection mechanisms, virus characteristics, classification, and biological diversity.

Stabilizing Selection

A type of natural selection that favors average traits over extremes.

Quantitative Traits

Traits that can be measured and are often distributed in a bell curve.

Bell Curve

A graphical representation of a normal distribution of traits.

Environmental Change

Any alteration in the environmental conditions affecting organisms.

Antibiotic Resistance

The ability of bacteria to survive the effects of antibiotics.

Disruptive Selection

A type of selection that favors extreme traits over average ones.

Selective Neutrality

A condition where traits do not confer any significant advantage or disadvantage.

Frequency-dependent Selection

Selection where the fitness of a phenotype depends on its frequency relative to other phenotypes.

Sex Ratio

The ratio of males to females in a population.

Kin Selection

A form of natural selection that favors traits benefiting close relatives.

Allele

A variant form of a gene at a given locus.

Multilevel Selection

Selection that occurs at multiple levels of biological organization.

Between-group Selection

Natural selection that favors the survival of groups over individuals.

Cooperation

Mutual benefit interactions among individuals or groups.

Policing

Mechanisms within a group that punish non-cooperative individuals.

Phylogenetic Trees

Diagrams that depict the evolutionary relationships between species.

Clade

A group of organisms that includes a common ancestor and all its descendants.

Convergence Evolution

The process where distantly related organisms evolve similar traits.

Taxon

A name applied to a group of organisms with common features.

Homologous Traits

Similar traits inherited from a common ancestor.

Domain

The highest taxonomic rank in the biological classification.

Eukarya

Domain of life that includes all organisms with complex cells.

Bacteria

Domain of prokaryotic microorganisms that are ubiquitous on Earth.

Archaea

Domain consisting of single-celled organisms that are prokaryotic and often extremophiles.

Viruses

Submicroscopic infectious agents that can replicate only inside living host cells.

Lytic Cycle

Viral replication process resulting in the destruction of the host cell.

Lysogenic Cycle

A viral replication cycle where the virus integrates its genetic material into the host's chromosome.

Genetic Material

Molecules that carry the genetic information of an organism.

Protein Capsid

The protein shell of a virus that encases its genetic material.

Antiviral Drugs

Medications used to treat viral infections.

Rhinoviruses

Viruses that are a common cause of colds.

Influenza Viruses

Viruses that cause the flu and evolve rapidly.

HIV

Virus that causes AIDS and targets the immune system.

Norovirus

Virus that causes gastrointestinal illnesses.

Cancer

A disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.

Sexual Selection

Natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex.

Speciation

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

Reproductive Isolation

Barriers that prevent two populations from interbreeding.

Geographical Isolation

A form of speciation that occurs when populations are separated by physical barriers.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

The arrangement of organisms into categories based on shared characteristics.

Genus

A taxonomic category ranking above species and below family.

Species

A group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

Eukarya

Domain that includes all organisms with eukaryotic cells.

Virus Classification

Grouping of viruses based on aspects such as shape and type of nucleic acid.

Bacteriophages

Viruses that infect bacteria.

Human Respiratory Viruses

Viruses that primarily infect the respiratory tract.

Cold Viruses

Viruses that cause mild upper respiratory infections.

RNA Viruses

Viruses that have RNA as their genetic material.

Fast-evolving Viruses

Viruses that undergo rapid mutation, such as HIV and Influenza.

Pathogenic Trees

Tree diagrams showing relationships between pathogenic organisms.

Viral Enzymes

Proteins that viruses use to replicate within a host.

Outer Membranous Envelope

A lipid layer surrounding some viruses derived from the host cell.

Plasma Membrane

The membrane that separates the interior of a cell from its environment.

Infectious Cycle

The series of events following virus entry into a host cell.

Host Cell

A living cell in which a virus can replicate.

Eukaryotic Cells

Cells that have a nucleus enclosed within membranes.

Prokaryotic Cells

Single-celled organisms without a nucleus.

Pathogen

An organism that causes disease.

Virus Entry Mechanism

The method by which a virus penetrates a host cell.

Evolutionary Dead End

A clade or lineage that shows no further evolutionary lineage.

Tasmanian Devil

A marsupial known for high rates of transmissible cancer.

Game Theory

A mathematical model of strategic interaction among rational decision-makers.

Prisoners Dilemma

A scenario in game theory illustrating cooperation between individuals.

Genetic Diversity

The total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species.

Asexual Reproduction

Reproduction without the fusion of gametes.

Clonal Lineages

Groups of organisms descended from a single ancestor.

Biological Diversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Evolutionary Biology

The study of the evolutionary processes that produced the diversity of life.

Viral Life Cycle

The complete cycle a virus undergoes from infection to replication.

Host Exploitation

Using the host's cellular mechanisms for viral replication.

Infection Mechanisms

Methods by which viruses can enter and establish in host cells.

Viral Replication Rate

The speed at which a virus can reproduce within a host.

Immune System Targeting

The immune system's ability to identify and act against pathogens.

Genetic Mutation

Changes in the DNA sequence that can lead to variations in organisms.

Selctive Pressure

Environmental factors that favor certain phenotypic traits.

Biological Evolution

Change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

Ecosystem Dynamics

The interactions and relationships among organisms in a biological community.

Cell Cooperation

The interactions among cells that benefit the survival and reproduction of the overall entity.

Host Defense Mechanism

The biological processes that protect a host from pathogens.

Cellular Machinery

The molecular components within a cell that maintain its functions.

Pathogenic Mechanism

How a pathogen causes disease in a host.

Bacterial Resistance

The ability of bacteria to survive treatment with antibiotics.

Infectious Disease Modeling

Using mathematical and computational techniques to simulate infectious diseases.

Biological Interactions

The ways in which living organisms interact with each other.

Environmental Adaptation

The process through which organisms change to fit their environment.

Survival of the Fittest

The principle that organisms best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive.

Fitness Payoff

The reproductive advantage gained by a trait in a specific environment.

Genetic Drift

Random changes in allele frequencies in a population.

Founder Effect

Genetic drift that occurs when a small number of individuals colonize a new habitat.

Extinction Events

Periods in which a significant number of species die out.

Niche Differentiation

The process by which competing species use the environment differently.

Coevolution

The influence of closely associated species on each other’s evolution.

Population Dynamics

Changes in population size and composition over time.

Adaptive Radiation

The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches.

Biogeography

The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems across geographic space.

Ecosystem Services

The benefits provided by ecosystems to humans.

Sustainable Practices

Methods that do not deplete resources or harm the environment.

Climate Change Impact

Effects of changing climate patterns on global ecosystems.

Habitat Fragmentation

The process in which large and contiguous habitats are transformed into smaller, isolated patches.

Extinction Risk

The likelihood that a species will become extinct.