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265 midterm
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Species (Original Perception) | Species were originally perceived as fixed, unchanging entities created separately. |
| Hutton & Lyell’s Impact on Evolutionary Thought | Their ideas on gradual geological change (uniformitarianism) suggested that Earth was much older than previously believed, allowing time for evolution to occur. |
| Lamarck’s Contributions | Proposed inheritance of acquired characteristics; organisms change over time due to use and disuse of traits (incorrect). |
| Darwin’s Contributions | Developed the theory of natural selection based on variation, competition, and differential survival and reproduction. |
| Mendel’s Contributions | Discovered patterns of inheritance through pea plant experiments, forming the basis of modern genetics. |
| Cuvier’s Contributions | Established the concept of extinction and studied fossils, but supported catastrophism rather than evolution. |
| Darwin’s Observations | Variation in species, adaptation to environment, fossils resembling modern species, and biogeographic distribution patterns. |
| Information Available to Darwin | Fossils, artificial selection in breeding, geological principles (Hutton & Lyell), and Thomas Malthus’ ideas on population growth. |
| Darwin’s Definition of Fitness | The ability to survive and reproduce in a given environment. |
| Darwin’s Definition of Evolution | Descent with modification through natural selection over generations. |
| Theory of Natural Selection | Organisms with favorable traits survive and reproduce more, leading to gradual changes in populations. |
| Unit of Natural Selection | The individual organism. |
| Unit of Evolution | The population. |
| Natural Selection | Process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce. |
| Artificial Selection | Selective breeding of organisms by humans for desirable traits. |
| Endemic | Species that exist only in a specific geographic location. |
| Adaptation | Inherited trait that enhances an organism’s survival and reproduction. |
| Heritable Variation | Differences in traits passed from parents to offspring. |
| Over-reproduction | More offspring are produced than can survive, leading to competition. |
| Homology | Similar structures due to shared ancestry. |
| Convergent Evolution | Evolution of similar traits in unrelated species due to similar environments. |
| Post-Darwin Data Supporting Evolution | Fossil record, molecular biology, comparative anatomy, biogeography, direct observations (e.g., antibiotic resistance). |
| Sources of Genetic Variation | Mutation, recombination, gene flow. |
| Maintenance of Genetic Variation | Diploidy, balancing selection, neutral mutations. |
| Ultimate Source of Genetic Variation | Mutation. |
| Incorrect: 'Vertebrates evolved eyes to see.' | Evolution does not have intent; eyes developed through natural selection favoring vision-enhancing mutations. |
| Incorrect: 'She is responding well to the antibiotics.' | The bacteria, not the person, evolve resistance to antibiotics. |
| Incorrect: 'DDT put pressure on insect populations to evolve resistance.' | Mutations for resistance already existed; natural selection favored resistant individuals. |
| Incorrect: 'Megalodon went extinct because it couldn’t evolve fast enough.' | Evolution is not goal-directed; extinction is due to environmental changes and competition. |
| Incorrect: 'Once animals came onto land, they had to evolve ways to survive.' | Evolution is not a choice or conscious adaptation but a result of selection acting on variation. |
| Who Was Alfred Russel Wallace? | Co-discoverer of natural selection; studied biodiversity in the Malay Archipelago. |
| Population | A group of individuals of the same species that interbreed in a given area. |
| Allele | A variant form of a gene at a particular locus on a chromosome. |
| Genotype | The genetic makeup of an organism for a particular trait or set of traits. |
| Phenotype | The observable characteristics of an organism, influenced by genotype and environment. |
| Homozygous | Having two identical alleles for a given gene. |
| Heterozygous | Having two different alleles for a given gene. |
| Gene Pool | The total genetic information within a population. |
| Allele Frequency | The proportion of a specific allele within a gene pool. |
| Genotype Frequency | The proportion of individuals in a population with a specific genotype. |
| Average Heterozygosity | The proportion of loci that are heterozygous in an average individual of a population. |
| Nucleotide Variability | The genetic diversity at the molecular level, measuring differences in DNA sequences. |
| Microevolution | Small-scale changes in allele frequencies within a population over time. |
| Directional Selection | A form of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over the others. |
| Disruptive Selection | A form of selection that favors both extreme phenotypes over the intermediate phenotype. |
| Stabilizing Selection | A form of selection that favors the intermediate phenotype, reducing variation. |
| Selection Pressure | An environmental factor that influences which traits are advantageous for survival and reproduction. |
| Sexual Selection | A type of natural selection where certain traits increase an organism's chance of mating. |
| Intrasexual Selection | A form of sexual selection involving competition among individuals of the same sex for mates. |
| Intersexual Selection | A form of sexual selection where individuals of one sex choose mates based on specific traits. |
| Biological Species Concept | Defines a species as a group of interbreeding organisms that produce viable, fertile offspring. |
| Reproductive Isolation | Biological barriers that prevent different species from interbreeding. |
| Morphological Species Concept | Defines species based on differences in physical characteristics. |
| Ecological Species Concept | Defines species based on their ecological niche and interactions with the environment. |
| Phylogenetic Species Concept | Defines species as the smallest group that shares a common ancestor, based on evolutionary history. |
| Allopatric Speciation | The formation of new species due to geographic isolation. |
| Sympatric Speciation | The formation of new species without geographic isolation, often due to ecological or genetic differences. |
| Hybrid Zones | Regions where members of different species meet and mate, producing hybrids. |
| Hybrid Zone Fates: Reinforcement/Fusion/Stability | Reinforcement strengthens reproductive barriers, fusion merges species, and stability maintains hybrid populations over time. |
| Systematics | The scientific study of evolutionary relationships among organisms. |
| Taxonomy | The classification, naming, and identification of organisms based on shared traits. |
| Phylogeny | The evolutionary history and relationships among species or groups of organisms. |
| Maximum Parsimony | A principle in phylogenetics that selects the simplest tree with the fewest evolutionary changes. |
| Maximum Likelihood | A statistical method for constructing phylogenetic trees based on the probability of observed genetic data given a model of evolution. |
| Bayesian Analysis | A method in phylogenetics that estimates the most probable evolutionary tree by incorporating prior information and probability models. |
| Cladogram | A diagram showing evolutionary relationships among species based on shared derived traits. |
| Phylogram | A phylogenetic tree where branch lengths represent genetic change or evolutionary time. |
| Oxygen Revolution | A period around 2.4 billion years ago when photosynthetic organisms increased atmospheric oxygen, leading to major evolutionary changes. |
| Banded Iron Formations | Layered iron-rich rocks formed during the oxygen revolution due to increased oxygen levels reacting with dissolved iron in oceans. |
| Cambrian Explosion | A rapid diversification of life around 540 million years ago, resulting in the appearance of most major animal phyla. |
| Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction | The largest mass extinction event (~252 million years ago), wiping out around 90% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species. |
| Paleozoic Seas | Marine ecosystems from the Paleozoic Era (~541-252 million years ago), dominated by trilobites, brachiopods, and early fish. |
| Mesozoic Seas | Marine ecosystems from the Mesozoic Era (~252-66 million years ago), dominated by marine reptiles, ammonites, and early sharks. |
| KT Boundary Extinction | The mass extinction ~66 million years ago that led to the demise of non-avian dinosaurs, likely caused by an asteroid impact. |
| Cenozoic Seas | Marine ecosystems from the Cenozoic Era (~66 million years ago to present), characterized by modern marine mammals, fish, and coral reefs. |
| Messinian Salinity Crisis | A period (~5.96-5.33 million years ago) when the Mediterranean Sea partially dried due to restricted water flow from the Atlantic. |
| Closure of the Isthmus of Panama | The formation of the land bridge ~3 million years ago that separated the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, influencing ocean currents and species migration. |
| Ice Ages – 2.58 mya to present | A series of glacial and interglacial periods during the Quaternary, shaping modern ecosystems and species distributions. |
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allisonncarver
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