vocabulary Flashcards
(149 cards)
natural selection
the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change.
evolution
artificial selection
an evolutionary process in which humans consciously select for or against particular features in organisms
adaptation
a feature that arose and was favored by natural selection for its current function
biogeography
the branch of biology that deals with the geographical distribution of plants and animals.
homology
similarity of the structure, physiology, or development of different species of organisms based upon their descent from a common evolutionary ancestor.
analogy
similarity of function and superficial resemblance of structures that have different origins. For example, the wings of a fly, a moth, and a bird
convergent evolution
occurs when organisms that aren’t closely related evolve similar features or behaviours, often as solutions to the same problems.
expatiation
the process of a trait or structure shifting functions during evolution
genetic variation
the natural difference in DNA sequences between individuals of the same species or between populations of the same species
genetic polymorphism
genetic divergence
the process in which two or more populations of an ancestral species accumulate independent genetic changes (mutations) through time,
population
gene pool
hardy Weinberg equilibrium
gene flow
genetic drift
founder effect
bottleneck effect
stabilizing selection
directional selection
biological species concept
operational taxonomic unit
lineage species concept
