Unit 4 List 1 Evolution IV

Question 1

amino acid sequencing

Answer 1

the process of identifying the arrangement of amino acids in proteins and peptides.

Question 2

analogous structure

Answer 2

features of different species that are similar in function but not necessarily in structure and which do not derive from a common ancestral feature

Question 3

anatomy

Answer 3

the identification and description of the structures of living things.

Question 4

biochemical evidence

Answer 4

the amino acid sequence of proteins

Question 5

biogeography

Answer 5

the branch of biology that deals with the geographical distribution of plants and animals.

Question 6

cladogram

Answer 6

diagrams which depict the relationships between different groups of taxa called “clades”.

Question 7

common ancestry

Answer 7

Ancestral organism shared by two or more descendent lineages

Question 8

descent with modification

Answer 8

the idea that species change over time, give rise to new species, and share a common ancestor.

Question 9

DNA sequencing

Answer 9

the general laboratory technique for determining the exact sequence of nucleotides, or bases, in a DNA molecule.

Question 10

electrophoresis

Answer 10

a laboratory technique used to separate DNA, RNA or protein molecules based on their size and electrical charge.

Question 11

embryo

Answer 11

an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development, in particular a human offspring during the period from approximately the second to the eighth week after fertilization (after which it is usually termed a fetus).

Question 12

embryology

Answer 12

the study of development of an embryo from the stage of ovum fertilization through to the fetal stage.

Question 13

evolutionary tree

Answer 13

a diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms, or genes from a common ancestor.

Question 14

fossil record

Answer 14

made up of all the fossils that have been found, along with their relative ages.

Question 15

homologous structure

Answer 15

similar physical features in organisms that share a common ancestor, but the features serve completely different functions.

Question 16

homology

Answer 16

similarity of the structure, physiology, or development of different species of organisms based upon their descent from a common evolutionary ancestor.

Question 17

paleontology

Answer 17

the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants.

Question 18

phenotypic similarity

Answer 18

a measure of functional redundancy within homologous gene families.

Question 19

phylogeny

Answer 19

the branch of biology that deals with phylogenesis.

Question 20

phylogenetic tree

Answer 20

a diagram that represents evolutionary relationships among organisms.

Question 21

vestigial structures

Answer 21

a feature that a species inherited from an ancestor but that is now less elaborate and functional than in the ancestor.

Question 22

sedimentary layers

Answer 22

a quantity or piece of it that covers a surface

Question 23

adaptation

Answer 23

modification of an organism or its parts that makes it more fit for existence under the conditions of its environment

Question 24

behavior

Answer 24

the way in which an animal or person acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus.

Question 25

competition

Answer 25

the rivalry between or among living things for territory, resources, goods, mates, etc.

Question 26

fitness

Answer 26

an organism's ability to pass its genetic material to its offspring.

Question 27

gene pool

Answer 27

the stock of different genes in an interbreeding population.

Question 28

genetic variation

Answer 28

a term used to describe the variation in the DNA sequence in each of our genomes.

Question 29

geographic isolation

Answer 29

a term used to describe the physical separation of populations of organisms from one another due to geographical barriers.

Question 30

morphology

Answer 30

the branch of biology that deals with the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures.

Question 31

natural selection

Answer 31

the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change.

Question 32

phenotypic expression

Answer 32

the observable characteristics in an organism that results from the expression of genes.

Question 33

physiology

Answer 33

the study of how the human body works.

Question 34

population

Answer 34

all the organisms of the same group or species that live in a specific area and are capable of breeding among themselves.

Question 35

reproductive isolation

Answer 35

a breakdown in the ability to reproduce successfully with sexual partners of another type of organism

Question 36

sexual selection

Answer 36

the process by which individuals compete for access to mates and fertilization opportunities.

Question 37

speciation

Answer 37

how a new kind of plant or animal species is created.

Question 38

species

Answer 38

a group of organisms that can reproduce with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring.

Question 39

trait

Answer 39

a genetically determined characteristic.