AP Biology Evolution Study Guide – Flashcards
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Survival of the Fittest
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The concept that the organisms best suited to live in their environment will survive
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Variation
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Minute differences in individuals of the same species
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Evidence for Evolution: Geologic
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Fossils/fossil record, paleontology, biogeography
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Evidence for Evolution: Developmental
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Homologous and analogous structures, vestigial structures
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Evidence for Evolution: Biochemical
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Embryology, biochemistry, DNA, artificial selection
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Species/Speciation
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A kind of organism/when one species diverges enough genetically or geographically to create two separate species
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Sympatric Speciation
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The differentiation of populations within a common geographic area into separate species
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Allopatric Speciation
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The differentiation of geographically isolated populations into distinct species
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Gene Pool
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All the alleles present in a species
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Allelic Frequency
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A measure of the occurrence of an allele in a population, expressed as a proportion of the entire population (see genotype frequencies)
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Genetic Equilibrium
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The condition of an allele or genotype in a gene pool in which the frequency does not change from generation to generation
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Genotype Frequencies
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A measure of the occurrence of a genotype in a population expressed as a proportion of the entire population (see allele/allelic frequency)
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Genetic Drift
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Random fluctuation in allele frequencies over time by chance
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Mutation Pressure
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The change in allele frequencies due to the repeated occurrence of the same mutations (not as powerful as genetic drift in the grand scheme of evolution)
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Gene Flow
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The transfer of alleles from one population to another
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Bottleneck Effect
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A loss of genetic variability that occurs when a population is reduced drastically in size (usually due to a natural disaster)
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Founder Effect
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The effect by which rare alleles and combinations of alleles may be enhanced in new populations
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Selection Pressure
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An agent of differential mortality or fertility that tends to make a population change genetically
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Heterozygote Advantage
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The situation in which individuals heterzygous for a trait have a selective advantage of the those who are homozygous; an example is sickle cell anemia
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Directional Selection
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A form of selection in which selection acts to eliminate rather than favor the intermediate type (a graph moves either to the right or left - favoring one trait over the other)
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Disruptive Selection
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A form of selection in which selection acts to eliminate rather than favor the intermediate type (a graph is split in the middle - favoring the extremes of a trait, sometimes leading to speciation)
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Stabilizing Selection
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A form of selection in which selection acts to eliminate both extremes from a range of phenotypes
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Adaptation
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A peculiarity of structure, physiology, or behavior that promotes the likelihood of an organism's survival and reproduction in a particular environment
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Fitness
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The genetic contribution of an individual to succeeding generations. Relative fitness refers to the fitness of an individual relative to other individuals in a population
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Sexual Selection
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A type of differential reproduction that results from variable success in obtaining mates
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Polymorphism
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The presence in a population of more than one allele of a gene at a frequency greater than that of newly arising adaptations
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Microevolution
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Refers to the evolutionary process itself. Evolution within a species (see adaptation)
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Macroevolution
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The creation of new species and the extinction of old ones
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Phylogeny
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The evolutionary history of an organism
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Prezygotic Isolation Mechanisms
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A type of reproductive isolation in which the formation of a zygote is prevented; these mechanisms may range from physical separation in different habitats to gametic in which gametes are incapable of fusing
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Postzygotic Isolation Mechanisms
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A type of reproductive isolation in which zygotes are produced but are unable to develop into reproducing adults (ranging from inviable zygotes or embryos to adults that are sterile)
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Geographic Isolation
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Species do not occur in the same area; populations can be separated by natural barriers such as mountains or manmade ones like roads
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Ecological Isolation
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Species occur in the same area, but they occupy different habitats and rarely encounter each other
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Temporal Isolation
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Species reproduce in different seasons or at different times of the day
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Behavioral Isolation
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Species differ in their mating rituals
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Mechanical Isolation
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Structural differences between species prevent mating
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Gametic Isolation
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Gametes of one species function poorly with the gametes of another species or within the reproductive tract of another species
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Developmental Isolation
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Mating and fertilization are successful, but the embryo doesn't develop properly
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Hybrid Inviability/Sterility
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Hybrids may be vigorous, but they are sterile or produce inviable offspring
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Evolutionary Bottleneck
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An event that drastically reduces the size of a population, possibly eliminating certain traits (see bottleneck effect)
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Gradualism
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The view that species change very slowly in ways that may be imperceptible from one generation to the next but that accumulate and lead to major changes over thousands or millions of years (in contrast to Punctuated Equilibrium)
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Radioactive Dating
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A process for determining the age of an object by measuring an amount of given radioactive material it contains
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Convergent Evolution
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The independent development of similar structures in organisms that are not directly related; often found in organisms in similar environments (ex. birds and bats developing wings)
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Charles Lyell
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Wrote the book Principle of Geology that influenced Darwin's conclusion that living species had arose from ancestral species
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Alfred Russel Wallace
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A British naturalist who developed ideas similar to Darwin's on the topic of evolution
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Punctuated Equilibrium
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A hypothesis about the mechanism of evolutionary change proposing that long periods of little or no change are punctuated by periods of rapid evolution
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