Species & Speciation
This type of DNA is preferred for studying recent evolutionary events due to its faster mutation rate
What is mitochondrial DNA?
Proposed as the birthplace of life, these underwater geological features provide chemical gradients and energy for organic molecule formation
What are hydrothermal vents?
This term describes the transfer of information from one animal to another, affecting the behavior of the receiver
What is animal communication?
This domain includes single-celled organisms that thrive in extreme environments and have unique biochemistry distinct from bacteria
What is Archaea?
Plants can send out these chemical signals to call for help when they are under attack by herbivores
What are chemical SOS signals?
This concept defines species as groups that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring under natural conditions
What is the Biological Species Concept (BSC)?
These organisms are characterized by cells with no nucleus, circular DNA, and reproduction by binary fission
What are prokaryotes?
This type of communication conveys a type of information, such as identifying a predator or locating food
What is specific or referential information?
Tiktaalik provides evidence for evolution as a transitional form because it shares characteristics of both these types of animals
What are fish and tetrapods?
The roots of plants can grow faster when they detect nutrient patches underground
What is accelerated root growth?
Speciation that occurs without geographic isolation is called this
What is sympatric speciation?
This key structure is absent in prokaryotic cells but present in eukaryotic cells, housing the genetic material
What is a nucleus?
Honey bees use this unique type of "dance" to communicate the location of food sources to other members of the hive
What is the waggle dance?
During the Precambrian, primitive cells evolved the ability to engulf other cells, creating this process that gave rise to mitochondria and chloroplasts
What is endosymbiosis?
This chemical, produced by the wild tobacco plant when attacked by herbivores, poisons any animal that consumes it
What is nicotine?
This type of reproductive barrier prevents species from mating due to differences in timing, such as seasonal reproduction
What is temporal isolation?
This would have been a simple, single-celled organism with characteristics common to all life forms, such as genetic material (likely RNA or DNA)
What is LUCA? (last universal common ancestor)
In the honey bee waggle dance, the angle of the dance relative to gravity communicates this to the foraging bees
What is the direction of the food source relative to the sun?
Fossils showing intermediate characteristics between ancestral species and their descendants are known by this term, offering direct evidence of evolution
What are transitional forms?
In experiments, this parasitic plant, known for its ability to find a host, demonstrates plant behavior that mimics animal foraging patterns
What is the Daughter Vine?
These are the five types of prezygotic barrier mechanisms that prevent mating
What is behavioral, temporal, mechanical, habitat, and gametic isolation?
This helps explain the presence of organelles in eukaryotes that have their own DNA, ribosomes, and can divide independently, much like prokaryotic cells
What is Endosymbiotic Theory?
The length of the waggle run in the honey bee dance communicates this crucial detail about the food source
What is the distance to the food source?
Tiktaalik resembles modern tetrapods in having a flat head, neck, and these bones in its fins that are homologous to the limbs of tetrapods
Unlike tetrapods, Tiktaalik retains this fish-like feature for movement in water
What are wrist bones and fins?
Plants release a compound, which acts like a sweet treat to attract herbivores, which then becomes a deadly trap, signaling predators to come for a snack
What are trichomes?