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Flashcards in chapter 2 & 4 Deck (35)
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1
Q

theory

A

explanatory statements or arguments related to particular sets phenomena supported by observation and experiment

2
Q

data

A

observations, measurements, facts (known or assumed) that form the basis for a conclusion; singular datum

3
Q

reproductive fitness

A

a measure of the success of an individual in the production of offspring across generations; your children, and their children, and so on all constitute your reproductive fitness

4
Q

epigenetic

A

mechanisms acting during mitosis (development) to modify gene expression without modifying the actual DNA sequence; may result in heritable variation

5
Q

adaptive radiation

A

the opportunistic and relatively rapid diversification of new forms into new ecological zones through a series of speciation events

6
Q

immutable

A

unchanging over time, or unchangeable; an idea traceable to the greek philosopher aristotle, stating that forms exist today as they were when created, have not changed in the past, and cannot change in the future

7
Q

phenotypic plasticity

A

a potential for individuals to modify their phenotype in response to variation in external conditions in order to maintain homeostasis and function

8
Q

sample

A

a subset of a whole that represents its qualities with regard to the characteristics under study; for example, if three-quarters of a population of university students have a piercing, approximately the same proportion in a sample selected from that population should have a piercing

9
Q

great chain of being

A

Aristotle’s ordered, hierarchal, and static view of the world

10
Q

taxonomy

A

the method by which organisms are classified and assigned to a group (a taxon; plural taxa) based on shared biological, ecological, and behavioural relationships

11
Q

extinction

A

the complete dissa[earance of particular species owing to factors that may be internal (related to the organisms biology) or external (related to environmental change over which the organism has no influence)

12
Q

phylogenetic

A

relating to evolutionary histories of ancestry and descent

13
Q

microevolution

A

small scale evolutionary events occurring within a population over the span of a few generations, affecting the frequency of specific characters and not involving species formation

14
Q

biogeography

A

the study of the geographic distribution of organisms, habitats, and evolutionary history as it related to landscape and ecology

15
Q

directional selection

A

a form of positive or negative selection resulting in a shift in phenotypes toward one end of the distribution, typically occurring in dynamic and changing environments

16
Q

morphospecies

A

designation of species in the fossil record according to similarity in form irrespective of time

17
Q

parapatric

A

refers to species whose ranges are contiguous but not overlapping; gene flow is possible

18
Q

sympatric

A

refers to species that coexist in the same geographic region

19
Q

variability

A

the tendency for members off a population to exhibit different versions of a particular trait

20
Q

allopatric

A

refers to species that “live apart” and do not occupy the same geographic locale; allopatric species are presumed to exist in genetic isolation

21
Q

punctuated equilibrium

A

a pattern of evolution characterized by periods of stasis interrupted by rapid evolutionary change; more commonly found in small, peripheral populations on the edge of a species range

22
Q

constraint

A

genetic of functional limitation on the activity or expression of a characteristic

23
Q

variation

A

the expression of differences for a characteristic among members of a population

24
Q

anagenesis

A

a pattern of slow, linear evolutionary change, also known as Darwinian gradualism

25
Q

stabilizing selection

A

a form of selection favouring the most common phenotype at the expense of extreme expressions of a character

26
Q

homologous

A

referring to homology, which is similarity among characters as a result of inheritance from a common ancestor

27
Q

founder effect

A

the potentially biased sampling of the genetic variation in a species due to the isolation of a small number of its members

28
Q

homoplasy

A

analogous characters in different taxa that appear as a result of independent evolution; such a character is not present in the last common ancestor of the taxa in question

29
Q

gene flow

A

the movement of genes with or without the movement of individuals over geographic space

30
Q

lactase persistence

A

in humans, the continues production past childhood of the enzyme lactase necessary for digesting the milk sugar lactose

31
Q

adaptationist

A

a perspective that commonly seeks an adaptive explanation or mechanism for the presence or form of a particular phenotypic character

32
Q

balanced polymorphism

A

polymorphism means “many types” and in genetic terms denotes phenotypes established at proportions that do not require mutation to maintain their existence. Balanced polymorphism occurs when a heterozygote has a selective advantage over altnernative homozygotes, thereby maintaining allele diversity within the population

33
Q

convergence

A

a path toward development of homoplasy; evolution acts on different ancestral structure to converge upon a similar outcome in response to similar adaptive pressures

34
Q

parallelism

A

a path toward development of homoplasy; evolution modifies an ancestral character to achieve similar outcomes in response to similar adaptive pressures

35
Q

genetic bottleneck

A

a sudden constriction on the genetic diversity appearing in a generation, commonly associated with a reduction in population size