Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Biology Ch. 15
Tracing Evolutionary History
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| continental drift | A change in the position of continents resulting from the incessant slow movement of the plates of Earth's crust on the underlying molten mantle. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| ingroup | In a cladistic study of evolutionary relationships among taxa of organisms, the group of taxa that is actually being analyzed. See also outgroup>. |
| kingdom | In classification, the broad taxonomic category above phylum. |
| macroevolution | Evolutionary change on a grand scale, encompassing the origin of new taxonomic groups, evolutionary trends, adaptive radiation, and mass extinction. |
| 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. |
| 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 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. |
| protobiont | An aggregate of abiotically produced molecules surrounded by a membrane or membrane-like structure. |
| radiometric dating | A method for determining the absolute ages of fossils and rocks, based on the half-life of radioactive isotopes. |
| 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. |
| species | A group whose members possess similar anatomical characteristics and have the ability to interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring. See biological species concept. |
| stromatolite | Layered rocks that result from the activities of prokaryotes that bind thin films of sediment together. |
| systematics | A scientific discipline focused on classifying organisms and determining their evolutionary relationships. |
| taxon | A named taxonomic unit at any given level of classification. |
| three-domain system | A system of taxonomic classification based on three basic groups: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. |
Created by:
ebaughan
Popular Biology sets