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Bio101 Chpt 14 & 15a
Bio101 Chpt 14 & 15 Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| adaptive radiation | Period of evolutionary change in which groups of organisms form many new species whose adaptations allow them to fill new or vacant ecological roles in their communities. |
| allopatric speciation | The formation of new species in populations that are geographically isolated from one another. |
| analogy | The similarity between two species that is due to convergent evolution rather than to descent from a common ancestor with the same trait. |
| binomial | A two-part, Latinized name of a species; for example, Homo sapiens. |
| biological species concept | Definition of a species as a population or groups of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce viable, fertile offspring, but do not produce viable, fertile offspring with members of other such populations. |
| clade | A group of species that includes an ancestral species and all its descendants. |
| cladistics | An approach to systematics in which common descent is the primary criterion used to classify organisms by placing them into groups called clades. |
| class | In classification, the taxonomic category above order. |
| convergent evolution | Adaptive change resulting in nonhomologous (analogous) similarities among organisms. Species from different evolutionary lineages come to resemble each as a result of living in very similar environments. |
| domain | A taxonomic category above the kingdom level. The three domains of life are Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. |
| ecological species concept | A definition of species in terms of ecological roles (niches). |
| evo-devo | The research field that combines evolutionary biology with developmental biology. |
| family | In classification, the taxonomic category above genus. |
| genus | (plural, genera) In classification, the taxonomic category above species; the first part of a species' binomial; for example, Homo. |
| geologic record | A time scale established by geologists that divides Earth's history into time periods, grouped into three eons— Archaean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic— and further subdivided into eras, periods, and epochs. |
| horizontal gene transfer | The transfer of genes from one genome to another through mechanisms such as transposable elements, plasmid exchange, viral activity, and perhaps, fusions of different organisms. |
| hybrid zone | A geographic region in which members of different species meet and mate, producing at least some hybrid offspring. |
| ingroup | In a cladistic study of evolutionary relationships among taxa of organisms, the group of taxa that is actually being analyzed. |
| kingdom | In classification, the broad taxonomic category above phylum. |
| molecular clock | Evolutionary timing method based on the observation that at least some regions of genomes evolve at constant rates. |
| molecular systematics | A scientific discipline that uses nucleic acids or other molecules in different species to infer evolutionary relationships. |
| monophyletic | Pertaining to a taxon derived from a single ancestral species that gave rise to no species in any other taxa. |
| morphological species concept | A definition of species in terms of measurable anatomical criteria. |
| order | In classification, the taxonomic category above family |
| outgroup | In a cladistic study of evolutionary relationships among taxa of organisms, a taxon or group of taxa known to have diverged before the lineage that contains the group of species being studied. See also ingroup. |
| paedomorphosis | The retention in an adult of juvenile features of its evolutionary ancestors. |
| pangaea | The supercontinent consisting of all the major landmasses of Earth fused together. Continental drift formed Pangaea near the end of the Paleozoic era. |
| parsimony | In scientific studies, the search for the least complex explanation for an observed phenomenon. |
| phyla | In classification, the taxonomic category above class |
| phylogenetic species concept | A definition of species as the smallest group of individuals that shares a common ancestor and forms one branch on the tree of life. |
| phylogenetic tree | A branching diagram that represents a hypothesis about the evolutionary history of a group of organisms. |
| phylogeny | The evolutionary history of a species or group of related species. |
| polyploidy | An organism that has more than two complete sets of chromosomes as a result of an accident of cell division. |
| postzygotic barrier | A reproductive barrier that prevents hybrid zygotes produced by two different species from developing into viable, fertile adults. Includes reduced hybrid viability, reduced hybrid fertility, and hybrid breakdown. |
| prezygotic barrier | A reproductive barrier that impedes mating between species or hinders fertilization if mating between two species is attempted. Includes temporal, habitat, behavioral, mechanical, and gametic isolation. |
| punctuated equilibrium | In the fossil record, long periods of apparent stasis in which a species undergoes little or no morphological change interrupted by relatively brief periods of sudden change. |
| radiometric dating | A method for determining the absolute ages of fossils and rocks, based on the half-life of radioactive isotopes. |
| reproductive isolation | The existence of biological factors (barriers) that impede members of two species from producing viable, fertile hybrids. |
| ribozyme | An enzyme-like RNA molecule that catalyzes chemical reactions. |
| shared ancestral character | A character, shared by members of a particular clade, that originated in an ancestor that is not a member of that clade. |
| shared derived character | An evolutionary novelty that is unique to a particular clade. |
| speciation | The evolution of a new species. |
| stromatolite | Layered rocks that result from the activities of prokaryotes that bind thin films of sediment together. |
| sympatric speciation | The formation of new species in populations that live in the same geographic area. |
| systematics | A scientific discipline focused on classifying organisms and determining their evolutionary relationships. |
| taxon | A named taxonomic unit at any given level of classification. |
| taxonomy | The branch of biology that identifies, names, and classifies species. |
| three-domain system | A system of taxonomic classification based on three basic groups: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. |
Created by:
dtgs2010
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