lab practical -- terms

trait

characteristic determined by genes

fitness 

ability to survive/reproduce in an environment

adaptation

trait that improves fitness

population

all individuals of 1 species in an area

community 

all species interacting in 1 area

speciation

formation of new/distinct species in course of evolution

evolution

process of population changing across generations

things that cause evolution

natural selection, mutations, gene flow, genetic drift

natural selection

individuals that are better adapted to environment are more likely to survive and reproduce

parsimony

selecting simplest explanation that accounts for observations

monophyletic

organisms that share a common ancestor and all its decendents

paraphyletic

group that includes a common ancestor and some descendants

polyphyletic

grouping of organisms that share similar traits but do not share a recent common ancestor

clade

branch systems that have special importance in understanding diversity — monophyletic

polytomy

a node on a phylogenetic tree where more than two lineages descend from a single MRCA

Phylogeny

grouping organisms via evolutionary relationships

taxonomy 

grouping organisms via characteristics

what drives natural selection

genetic drift, gene flow, gene variation

synapomorphy

shared derived characteristic thats passed down