click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
chapter 6
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| theory of evolution | The unifying theory of biology that posits that all living organisms evolved from a common ancestor. |
| natural selection | A mechanism of evolutionary change that results when individuals that are better adapted than others in meeting the challenges of the environment produce more offspring. |
| biological species concept | The definition of species as a population of organisms that have common characteristics and can successfully breed with each other. |
| reproductive isolation | The inability of separate populations to interbreed. |
| genus | A group of similar species. |
| species epithet | The species name of an organism. |
| binomial nomenclature | A system of naming species using two names, the first of which refers to the genus. |
| phylogeny | The evolutionary history of a species or other taxon. |
| phylogenetics | The study of evolutionary relationships. |
| taxon | (pl. taxa) A group of organisms that share a common ancestry. |