Adaptation, Mutation, and Artificial Selection
What is an adaptation?
A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.
What is competition?
The struggle between organisms for limited resources like food or space.
What is variation?
Differences in traits among individuals in a population.
What is a fossil?
Preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms.
What is speciation?
The evolutionary process by which new biological species arise.
What is a mutation?
A random change in an organism's DNA sequence.
What is fitness?
An organism's ability to survive and reproduce successfully in its environment.
What is genetic drift?
Random changes in allele frequencies, especially in small populations.
What is the fossil record?
The history of life on Earth as documented by fossils.
What is reproductive isolation?
Barriers that prevent members of different species from producing viable offspring.
What is artificial selection?
The process where humans selectively breed organisms for desired traits.
What is natural selection?
The process where organisms with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more.
What is the bottleneck effect?
A drastic reduction in population size due to a random event, leading to reduced genetic variation.
What are homologous structures?
Structures in different species that have similar underlying anatomy due to common ancestry.
What is allopatric speciation?
Speciation that occurs when populations are geographically separated.
What is selective breeding?
The same as artificial selection; humans choose parents with specific traits to pass on to their offspring.
What does "survival of the fittest" refer to?
This phrase describes natural selection, meaning the best-adapted individuals are most likely to survive.
What is the founder effect?
When a new population is established by a small number of individuals, leading to different allele frequencies.
What are analogous structures?
Structures that have similar functions but different evolutionary origins.
What is sympatric speciation?
Speciation that occurs within the same geographic area.
Example of Artificial Selection
Farmers breed cows that produce the most milk.
What is an example of natural selection?
Giraffes with longer necks could reach more leaves, so they survived and reproduced better.
What is gene flow?
The movement of genes between populations, often through migration.
What are vestigial structures?
Reduced or non-functional body parts that were functional in ancestral species.
What is geographic isolation?
A type of allopatric speciation where a physical barrier separates populations.