Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Heritable characteristics that increases an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in an environment
What is adaptation?
All the genes and alleles present in a population at any one given time
What is gene pool?
the formation of a new species
What is speciation?
groups of closely related species
What is genus?
Process by which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments
What is convergent evolution?
How well an organism can survive and reproduce in its environment
What is Fitness?
The situation in which allele frequencies in a population remain the same
What is genetic equilibrium?
Form of reproductive isolation in which 2 populations develop differences in courtship rituals
What is behavioral isolation?
The classification system in which each species is assigned a two-part scientific name
The process by which a single species or a small group of species evolves into several different forms that live in different ways
What is adaptive radiation?
The selective breeding of plants and animals to promote the occurrence of desirable traits in offspring
What is Artificial Selection?
A form of natural selection that favors individuals at one end of a distribution curve
What is directional selection?
What is the form of reproductive isolation in which 2 populations are separated by geographic barriers
What is geographical isolation?
The large taxonomic category that only contains 3 groups
What is domain?
Extinction caused by slow and steady progress of natural selection
What is background extinction?
Change over time
What is Evolution?
The number of times that an allele occurs in a gene pool compared with the number of alleles in that pool for the same gene
What is allele frequency?
Separation of a species or population so that they no longer interbreed and evolve into separate species
What is reproductive isolation?
diagram depicting patterns of shared characteristics among species
What is a cladogram?
Distinct fossils that are used to compare the relative ages of fossils
What are index fossils?
The process by which organisms that are most suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully
The random change in allele frequency
What is genetic drift?
A form of reproductive isolation in which 2 or more species reproduce at different times
What is temporal isolation?
System of naming and classifying organisms based on shared characteristics and universal rules
What is taxonomy?
What is Punctuated Equilibrium?