Evolution Theory Flashcards
What do evolutionary trees represent?
The genetic similarity between species
The binomial naming system gives each organism a name, consisting of what?
The genus and the species
What is the name given to humans by the binomial naming system?
Homo sapien
Each phylogenetic tree begins with what?
A common ancestor
What is evolution?
The process of organisms adapting to their surroundings over time
What is microevolution?
The small change in allele frequency within a population over successive generations
When allele frequency within a population increases overtime due to the allele conferring increased fitness/reproductive success, it is said to be what type of change?
Directional
When allele frequency within a population decreases overtime due to the allele conferring decreased fitness/reproductive success due to a deleterious effect, it is said to be what type of change?
Stabilising
Change in allele frequency occurs by what three processes?
- Natural selection
- Genetic drift
- Gene flow
What are the main forms of evidence that we use to base our hypothesis of evolution on?
- Anatomy
- Fossil records
- Molecular biology
- Observations
- Biogeography
The process of genetic drift can be magnified through large-scale chance events that remove large portions of the gene pool in a single event, and when this happens, it dramatically reduces the genetic variability of the remaining population. What is this event called?
A bottle-neck event
How does genetic drift effect allele frequency?
It can either increase it or decrease it
What is the founder effect?
When a sub-population becomes isolated from the main population with a different allele frequency
What are homologous features?
Observational differences on the surface, but share similarities in their bone structure
What are analogous features?
Observational similarities on the surface, but evolved independently due to similar selection pressures
