Honors Biology - Biological Evolution

Flashcards related to Biological Evolution. Includes key terms, concepts, and objectives related to the topics of evolutionary trees, natural selection, sexual and artificial selection, genetic drift, speciation, and evidence for evolution.

Adaptation

A trait that enhances an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Allele frequency

The frequency of a certain allele within a population.

Analogous structure

Structures that are similar in function but not in structure and evolutionary origin.

Artificial selection

The process by which humans breed animals and plants for particular traits.

Behavioral isolation

A form of reproductive isolation in which two populations develop differences in courtship rituals or other behaviors that prevent them from interbreeding.

Biological evolution

The process of change in the inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

Biological fitness

The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Bottleneck effect

A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events (such as famines, earthquakes, floods, fires, disease, or droughts) or human activities (such as genocide).

Charles Darwin

An English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.

Fossil

The preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past.

Founder effect

The loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population.

Gene pool

The total collection of genes in a population at any one time.

Genetic drift

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

Genetic equilibrium

The condition of an allele or genotype in a gene pool (such as a population) where the frequency does not change from generation to generation.

Geographic isolation

A form of reproductive isolation in which two populations are separated by geographic barriers such as rivers, mountains, or bodies of water, leading to the interruption of gene flow between the populations.

Homologous structure

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

Mutation

A change in the nucleotide sequence of an organism's DNA.

Natural selection

A process in which individuals with certain inherited traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than are individuals with other traits.

Phylogenetic tree

A branching diagram representing the evolutionary history of a group of organisms.

Reproductive isolation

The inability of a species to breed successfully with related species due to geographical, behavioral, physiological, or genetic barriers or differences.

Speciation

The process by which one species splits into two or more species.

Species

A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.

Temporal isolation

A form of reproductive isolation in which two or more species reproduce at different times.

Theory

A widely accepted explanatory idea that is broad in scope and supported by a large body of evidence.

Vestigial structure

A structure in an organism that has lost all or most of its original function in the course of evolution.

Sexual selection

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