AP Bio - Princeton Review Unit 7 Vocabulary

evolution

The gradual change in a species over time

natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Charles Darwin

English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)

Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck

first evolutionist to believe that organisms change over time. Who developed three theories: the theory of need, the theory of use and disuse, the theory of acquired characteristics. (1700s)

paleontology

the study of fossils

biogeography

Study of past and present distribution of organisms

flora

plants of a region or era

fauna

animal life

embryology

study of embryos and their development

morphological homologies

Represent features shared by common ancestry

homologous structures

Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry.

analogous structures

structures that do not have a common evolutionary origin but are similar in function

molecular biology

the study of heredity at the molecular level

continuing evolution

Evolution is a continual process for all populations of life.

common ancestor

The shared ancestor of new, different species that arose from one population

phylogenetic tree (cladogram)

diagram tracing evolutionary relationship between species

out-group

any group with which an individual does not identify (least related to other species)

genetic variability

The genetic differences in every individual - survival of species is dependent on this

peppered moths

originally, the majority of these moths were light-colored, due to natural selection and then when the trees turned black due to the Industrial Revolution in England, the black colored moths came into the majority because of natural selection

environmental pressure

The factors in an ecosystem that make it hard to survive and reproduce (food, predators, temperature, mates). Also called "selective pressure"

random mutation

random changes in the genes of individuals, which allows for genetic variability and evolution to occur.

adaptation

A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce

evolutionary fitness

when an organism has a trait that helps them survive and reproduce

sexual selection

A form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates.

genetic drift

A change in the allele frequency of a population as a result of chance events rather than natural selection.

bottleneck (founder effect)

the reduction in genetic variation that results when a small subset of a large population is used to establish a new colony

gene flow

movement of alleles from one population to another

directional selection

Natural selection in which individuals at one end of the phenotypic range survive or reproduce more successfully than do other individuals.

stabilizing selection

Natural selection that favors intermediate variants by acting against extreme phenotypes

disruptive selection

form of natural selection in which a single curve splits into two; occurs when individuals at the upper and lower ends of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals near the middle

artificial selection

Breeding organisms with specific traits in order to produce offspring with identical traits.

species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

reproductively isolated

unable to interbreed under normal circumstances to produce fertile offspring

divergent evolution

when two or more species sharing a common ancestor become more different over time

punctuated equilibrium

Pattern of evolution in which long stable periods are interrupted by brief periods of more rapid change

gradualism

The theory that evolution occurs slowly but steadily

adaptive radiation

an event in which a lineage rapidly diversifies, with the newly formed lineages evolving different adaptations

pre-zygotic barriers

A reproductive barrier that impedes mating between species or hinders fertilization if interspecific mating is attempted

post-zygotic barriers

barriers related to the inability of the hybrid to produce offspring, such as the sterile mule.

convergent evolution

Process by which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments

speciation

Formation of new species

allopatric speciation

The formation of new species in populations that are geographically isolated from one another.

sympatric speciation

The formation of new species in populations that live in the same geographic area

polyploidy

condition in which an organism has extra sets of chromosomes

Hardy-Weinberg law

Despite gene shuffling, relative frequencies of genotypes in a population still prevail over time. the dominant gene doesn't become more prevalent and the recessive gene doesn't disappear. The Hardy-Weinberg law only applies if a population meets five conditions: large population, no mutations, no immigration or emigration, random mating, and no natural selection.

Alexander Oparin and J. B. S. Haldane

1942 a Russian, _____ developed a theory to explain, in his view the origin of life on earth. in 1929 an English man____ developed basically the same idea of how life began on earth

Stanley Miller and Harold Urey

scientists who formed amino acids and other simple organic compounds in a laboratory experiment by reacting ammonia, methane, and hydrogen gases mixed with water vapor

RNA-world hypothesis

hypothesis that RNA served as the genetic information of early life