AP Biology Semester 2 Exam Review - Phylogeny, Tree of Life, and Ecology

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering phylogeny, macroevolution, early life origins, and ecological principles as detailed in the AP Biology lecture notes.

Tetrapods (Manatees)

Animals with four limbs; the West Indian Manatee is classified as such because it evolved from ancestors with four limbs and retains vestigial hip bones.

Shared Mammalian Traits

Characteristics shared by manatees, leopards, and other mammals including hair or fur, mammary glands for milk production, and three middle ear bones.

Adaptive Radiation

An evolutionary process where one ancestor species evolves into many different species, each adapted to a different niche, such as Darwin's finches on an island chain.

Regional Adaptive Radiation

The process of one ancestor evolving into multiple species adapted to different niches, but limited to one specific geographic area.

Gene Flow

The movement of genes between populations which reduces differences and prevents the formation of new species.

Genetic Drift

Random changes in small populations that can cause significant differences over time, potentially leading to the formation of new species.

Miller-Urey Experiment

A classic experiment testing the hypothesis that organic molecules like amino acids could form spontaneously from inorganic gases under early Earth conditions.

Abiotic Synthesis

The formation of simple organic monomers, such as amino acids and nucleotides, from inorganic molecules without the presence of living organisms.

RNA (Early Life)

Proposed self-replicating molecules that formed inside simple membranes during the early stages of life's origin on Earth.

Ecological Time

A time scale covering days to years, affecting short-term changes like seasonal weather, population booms, and forest recovery.

Evolutionary Time

A time scale spanning thousands of years, driving slow changes like the evolution of new species and genetic shifts across generations.

Density-Dependent Population Regulation (Humans)

Regulation primarily driven by resource availability, specifically food and clean water, which decreases as population density increases.

Tropical Rainforest Climate

Warm year-round temperatures of $25–28^{\circ}C$ ($77–82^{\circ}F$) with high daily precipitation between $200–400\,cm$ ($80–160$ inches).

Tropical Rainforest Soils

Thin, nutrient-poor, and often acidic soils where most nutrients are stored in living plants rather than the ground.

Epiphytes

Vegetation found in tropical rainforests, such as orchids and bromeliads, that grows on other plants rather than in the soil.

Hierarchical Classification Basis

A system where various taxonomic levels (genera, classes, etc.) differ from each other based on their inclusiveness.

Levels of Ecological Organization

The sequence arranged from most to least inclusive: ecosystem, community, population, and individual.