Unit 6 Study Guide (no 6.1)
Exploration 1: Genetic Variation in Populations
1. Natural Selection: The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to
survive and produce more offspring.
2. Gene Pool: The total set of different genes present in a population.
3. Crossing Over: The exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during
meiosis, leading to genetic diversity.
4. Recombination: The process by which genetic material is broken and joined to other genetic
material, contributing to genetic variation.
5. Allele: Different forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a
chromosome.
6. Allele Frequency: The relative frequency of an allele at a particular locus in a population,
expressed as a fraction or percentage.
7. Genotype Frequency: The proportion of different genotypes in a population.
8. Hardy-Weinberg Equation/Equilibrium: A principle stating that the genetic variation in a population
will remain constant in the absence of disturbing factors.
Exploration 2: Selection on Populations
1. Normal Distribution: A bell-shaped distribution of traits in a population, where most individuals
have average traits and fewer have extreme traits.
2. Microevolution: Small-scale evolutionary changes within a species or population, typically over a
short period of time.
3. Stabilizing Selection: A type of natural selection that favors average individuals in a population.
4. Directional Selection: A type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over the
mean or other extreme.
5. Disruptive Selection: A type of natural selection that favors extreme values of a trait over
intermediate values.
Exploration 4: Effects of Gene Flow
1. Gene Flow: The transfer of genetic variation from one population to another.
2. Genetic Drift: Random changes in allele frequencies in a population, especially in small
populations.
3. Bottleneck Effect: A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events or
human activities, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity.
4. Founder Effect: The reduced genetic diversity that results when a population is descended from a
small number of colonizing ancestors.
5. Sexual Selection: A mode of natural selection where typically members of one gender choose
mates of the other gender with specific traits.
6. Intrasexual Selection: Competition among members of the same sex (usually males) for mating
opportunities.
7. Intersexual Selection: Selection whereby individuals of one sex (usually females) are choosy in
selecting their mates from individuals of the other sex.
Exploration 5: Mechanisms of Speciation
1. Speciation: The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
2. Reproductive Isolation: A collection of mechanisms, behaviors, and physiological processes that
prevent the members of two different species that cross or mate from producing offspring.
3. Geographic Isolation: When physical barriers divide a population into two or more groups, leading
to speciation.
4. Behavioral Isolation: Differences in mating behaviors that prevent different species from
interbreeding.
5. Temporal Isolation: When two species breed at different times of day, season, or years,
preventing mating.
6. Adaptive Radiation: The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different
ecological niches.
Lesson 3
Exploration 1: Evolution of Behavior
Stimulus: A change in the environment that can elicit a response from an organism.
Receptor: A specialized cell or group of nerve endings that responds to sensory stimuli.
Response: A reaction by an organism to a stimulus.
Innate behavior: A behavior that is developmentally fixed and under strong genetic control.
Instinctive behavior: A complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is
unlearned.
Homeostasis: The maintenance of stable internal conditions in an organism.
Migration: The regular, long-distance change in location by animals.
Benefit: An advantage or profit gained from something.
Cost: The effort, loss, or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something.
Swarm: A large group of insects or other small organisms, especially when in motion.
Murmuration: A phenomenon when starlings fly in swooping, intricately coordinated patterns.
Opportunity cost: The loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen.
Protecting territory: The defense of a defined area against other individuals, typically of the same
species.
Protecting mates: Behaviors aimed at defending a reproductive partner from rivals.
Survivorship: The percentage of a cohort surviving to a certain age.
Hunting in groups: The cooperative hunting strategy used by some animals.
Exploration 2: Social Interactions
Flocking: A behavior exhibited when a group of birds or other animals move together in a
coordinated manner.
Schooling: The behavior of fish swimming together in the same direction in a coordinated manner.
Communication: The transfer of information from one organism to another.
Mate selection: The process by which individuals choose their reproductive partners.
Defense: Behaviors used to protect oneself or one's group from threats.
Cooperation: The process where groups of organisms work or act together for common or mutual
benefits.
Reciprocity: The exchange of resources, goods, and services among individuals of a group.
Altruism: Behaviors that benefit other individuals at a cost to oneself.
Eusocial: The highest level of social organization, where individuals of the same species cooperate
in caring for the young, and there is a division of labor into reproductive and non-reproductive
groups.
Exploration 3: Learned Behaviors
Learning: A relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience.
Animal cognition: The study of the mental capacities of non-human animals.
Intelligence: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
Cognitive abilities: The mental skills that include learning, thinking, reasoning, remembering,
problem-solving, decision-making, and attention.
Cultural behavior: Behaviors that are learned and transmitted through social interactions within a
community.
Exploration 1: Genetic Variation in Populations
1. Natural Selection: The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to
survive and produce more offspring.
2. Gene Pool: The total set of different genes present in a population.
3. Crossing Over: The exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during
meiosis, leading to genetic diversity.
4. Recombination: The process by which genetic material is broken and joined to other genetic
material, contributing to genetic variation.
5. Allele: Different forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a
chromosome.
6. Allele Frequency: The relative frequency of an allele at a particular locus in a population,
expressed as a fraction or percentage.
7. Genotype Frequency: The proportion of different genotypes in a population.
8. Hardy-Weinberg Equation/Equilibrium: A principle stating that the genetic variation in a population
will remain constant in the absence of disturbing factors.
Exploration 2: Selection on Populations
1. Normal Distribution: A bell-shaped distribution of traits in a population, where most individuals
have average traits and fewer have extreme traits.
2. Microevolution: Small-scale evolutionary changes within a species or population, typically over a
short period of time.
3. Stabilizing Selection: A type of natural selection that favors average individuals in a population.
4. Directional Selection: A type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over the
mean or other extreme.
5. Disruptive Selection: A type of natural selection that favors extreme values of a trait over
intermediate values.
Exploration 4: Effects of Gene Flow
1. Gene Flow: The transfer of genetic variation from one population to another.
2. Genetic Drift: Random changes in allele frequencies in a population, especially in small
populations.
3. Bottleneck Effect: A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events or
human activities, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity.
4. Founder Effect: The reduced genetic diversity that results when a population is descended from a
small number of colonizing ancestors.
5. Sexual Selection: A mode of natural selection where typically members of one gender choose
mates of the other gender with specific traits.
6. Intrasexual Selection: Competition among members of the same sex (usually males) for mating
opportunities.
7. Intersexual Selection: Selection whereby individuals of one sex (usually females) are choosy in
selecting their mates from individuals of the other sex.
Exploration 5: Mechanisms of Speciation
1. Speciation: The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
2. Reproductive Isolation: A collection of mechanisms, behaviors, and physiological processes that
prevent the members of two different species that cross or mate from producing offspring.
3. Geographic Isolation: When physical barriers divide a population into two or more groups, leading
to speciation.
4. Behavioral Isolation: Differences in mating behaviors that prevent different species from
interbreeding.
5. Temporal Isolation: When two species breed at different times of day, season, or years,
preventing mating.
6. Adaptive Radiation: The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different
ecological niches.
Lesson 3
Exploration 1: Evolution of Behavior
Stimulus: A change in the environment that can elicit a response from an organism.
Receptor: A specialized cell or group of nerve endings that responds to sensory stimuli.
Response: A reaction by an organism to a stimulus.
Innate behavior: A behavior that is developmentally fixed and under strong genetic control.
Instinctive behavior: A complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is
unlearned.
Homeostasis: The maintenance of stable internal conditions in an organism.
Migration: The regular, long-distance change in location by animals.
Benefit: An advantage or profit gained from something.
Cost: The effort, loss, or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something.
Swarm: A large group of insects or other small organisms, especially when in motion.
Murmuration: A phenomenon when starlings fly in swooping, intricately coordinated patterns.
Opportunity cost: The loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen.
Protecting territory: The defense of a defined area against other individuals, typically of the same
species.
Protecting mates: Behaviors aimed at defending a reproductive partner from rivals.
Survivorship: The percentage of a cohort surviving to a certain age.
Hunting in groups: The cooperative hunting strategy used by some animals.
Exploration 2: Social Interactions
Flocking: A behavior exhibited when a group of birds or other animals move together in a
coordinated manner.
Schooling: The behavior of fish swimming together in the same direction in a coordinated manner.
Communication: The transfer of information from one organism to another.
Mate selection: The process by which individuals choose their reproductive partners.
Defense: Behaviors used to protect oneself or one's group from threats.
Cooperation: The process where groups of organisms work or act together for common or mutual
benefits.
Reciprocity: The exchange of resources, goods, and services among individuals of a group.
Altruism: Behaviors that benefit other individuals at a cost to oneself.
Eusocial: The highest level of social organization, where individuals of the same species cooperate
in caring for the young, and there is a division of labor into reproductive and non-reproductive
groups.
Exploration 3: Learned Behaviors
Learning: A relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience.
Animal cognition: The study of the mental capacities of non-human animals.
Intelligence: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
Cognitive abilities: The mental skills that include learning, thinking, reasoning, remembering,
problem-solving, decision-making, and attention.
Cultural behavior: Behaviors that are learned and transmitted through social interactions within a
community.