Natural Selection
This process explains how populations become better adapted to their environment over time.
What is natural selection?
This is the original source of all new genetic variation in a population.
What is mutation?
These structures are similar due to shared ancestry, even if they have different functions.
What are homologous structures?
This occurs when populations can no longer interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
What is speciation?
This process removes introns from RNA before translation.
What is RNA splicing?
This determines evolutionary success by measuring how many offspring an organism produces.
What is reproductive fitness?
This equation describes genotype frequencies in a population that is not evolving.
What is the Hardy-Weinberg equation?
This type of data compares DNA or protein sequences between organisms.
What is molecular evidence?
This type of isolation occurs when populations are separated by physical barriers.
What is geographic isolation?
These DNA regions control when and where genes are expressed.
What are regulatory sequences?
This type of selection favors individuals at one extreme of a trait distribution.
What is directional selection?
This term describes random changes in allele frequencies, especially in small populations.
What is genetic drift?
The fewer differences in DNA sequences between two species, the more ______ they are.
What is closely related?
This type of reproductive barrier occurs before fertilization takes place.
What is a prezygotic barrier?
Mutations in these regions can affect phenotype without changing the protein sequence.
What are enhancer or regulatory regions?
This type of selection favors individuals with average phenotypes and reduces variation.
What is stabilizing selection?
This specific type of genetic drift occurs when a small group starts a new population.
What is the founder effect?
These diagrams show evolutionary relationships based on shared characteristics.
What are cladograms?
This happens when gene flow between populations is reduced or stopped.
What is reproductive isolation?
These pigments allow organisms to absorb additional wavelengths of light for photosynthesis.
Correct Response: What are accessory pigments?
This type of selection favors both extremes of a trait and can lead to two distinct phenotypes.
What is disruptive selection?
This condition must be met for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and means individuals choose mates randomly.
What is random mating?
This type of structure evolves independently in different species but serves similar functions.
What are analogous structures?
This type of speciation occurs without geographic separation, often due to behavioral or genetic changes.
What is sympatric speciation?
Changes in this can lead to major evolutionary differences without altering the gene itself.
What is gene expression?