Evolution and Speciation (A4.1, D4.1)
This mechanism of evolution is described as the change in allele frequency due to random chance, especially in small populations.
What is Genetic Drift?
The most inclusive taxonomic rank in the Linnaean system, above Phylum.
What is Kingdom or Domain?
This pituitary hormone stimulates the production of sperm in males and the development of the follicle in females.
What is Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)?
The specialized junction between two neurons where chemical signals are transmitted.
What is a Synapse?
The primary oxygen-carrying protein found in red blood cells.
What is Hemoglobin?
The process by which two populations are separated by a geographical barrier, leading to the formation of new species.
What is Allopatric Speciation?
A diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships between different species, based on shared derived characteristics.
What is a Cladogram?
The mechanism where the product of a process inhibits or reduces the process itself, common in hormonal regulation.
What is Negative Feedback?
The rapid reversal of the membrane potential, from negative to positive, which transmits a signal along an axon.
What is an Action Potential?
The tiny, thin-walled sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs via simple diffusion.
What are Alveoli?
The selective pressure exerted by humans when breeding domesticated animals or cultivated plants.
What is Artificial Selection?
Shared characteristics inherited from a common ancestor, which are used to construct cladograms.
What are Homologous Structures?
The structure in the brain that acts as the body's thermoregulatory center, controlling body temperature.
What is the Hypothalamus?
The general term for a chemical messenger released into the bloodstream to act on distant target cells.
What is a Hormone?
This circulatory system carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs and back to the left atrium.
What is the Pulmonary Circulation?
A sudden, severe decrease in the size of a population that results in a significant reduction in genetic diversity.
What is the Bottleneck Effect? (or punctuated equilibrium)
The process of grouping organisms based on shared characteristics, without necessarily considering evolutionary ancestry.
What is Classification?
The hormone produced by the pancreas that lowers blood glucose levels by promoting glucose uptake by cells.
What is Insulin?
A class of proteins, like serotonin or dopamine, derived from amino acids.
What are neurotransmitters?
The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane in response to solute concentration differences, crucial for transport in plants.
What is Osmosis?