origins of life
The theory, since disproven, that life can originate from non-living sources
What is abiogenesis?
Footprint or droppings leave this type of fossil
What is trace?
A random change in an organism's genetic code
What is a mutation?
When a population declines severely then recovers, this can happen to the gene pool
What is a genetic bottleneck?
The name of the research ship on which Darwin served on the expedition to the galapagos
What is the HMS Beagle?
The strands of a DNA molecule are oriented in this fashion
What is 5 prime to 3 prime and 3 prime to 5 prime
This event about 540 million years ago resulted in the rapid diversification of life, including the colonization of land
What is the Cambrian Explosion?
A force, usually environmental, that favours certain traits
What is a selective pressure?
When a new species arises without the presence of a physical barrier to separate the new population from the ancestral population
What is allopatric speciation?
The process where humans intentionally breed certain animals to enhance specific traits
What is artificial selection?
This molecule is thought to have been the original genetic material, as it has changed very little over time
What is RNA?
The time required for half of a radioactive sample to decay
The half-life of a radioactive substance
These structures shrink and eventually disappear due to lack of use
What are vestigial Structures?
This Principle details the conditions necessary for genetic equilibrium to exist
What is the Hardy-Weinberg Principle?
Daily Double
Where a harmless organism evolves to look like a dangerous one
This theory proposes that the first eukaryotic cells formed symbiotic relationships with simpler prokaryotic organisms
What is the endosymbiont theory?
The current era, where mammals are the dominant animals in many ecosystems
What is the Cenozoic Era?
The branch of evolutionary biology that compares the molecular similarities between species
What is comparitive biochemistry?
The process wherein species evolve similar traits independently of one another
What is convergent evolution?
DNA molecules consist of a 5 carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and this
What is a nitrogenous base?
These prokaryotic cells are likely the closest relatives to the first organism's on Earth, as they do not require oxygen
What are archaea?
This era saw the rise of dinosaurs and the appearance of mammals
What is the mesozoic era?
A trait that does not appear in the ancestral species
What is a derived trait?
Daily Double
The process where predator and prey evolve together
Nearly all fossils are found in this type of rock
What is sedimentary?