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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Biological species concept |
Definition of a species as a population or group of populations whose members can breed with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring |
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Macroevolution |
Major biological change evident in the fossil record |
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Speciation |
Formation of new species |
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Reproductive isolation |
Condition in which a reproductive barrier keeps two species from interbreeding |
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Geographic isolation |
Separation of populations as a result of geographic change or migration to geographically islolated places |
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Adaptive radiation |
Evolution from a common ancestor of many species adapted to diverse environments |
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Punctuated equilibrium |
Evolutionary model suggesting species often diverge in spurts of relatively rapid change, followed by long periods of little change |
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Embryology |
Study of multicellular organisms as they develop from fertilized eggs to fully formed organisms |
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Geologic time scale |
Earth's history organized into four eras Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic and, Cenozoic |
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Radiometric dating |
Determination of absolute ages of rock and fossils through calculations based on a radioactive isotope's fixed rate of decay |
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Half-Life |
Time it takes for 50% of a radioactive isotope sample to decay |
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Continental drift |
Motion of continents about Earth's surface on plates of crust floating on the hot mantle |
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Mass extinction |
Episode of great species loss |
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Taxonomy |
Identification, naming, and classification of species |
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Binomial |
Two-part Latin name of a species |
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Phylogenetic tree |
Branching diagram, suggesting evolutionary relationships, that classifies species into groups within groups |
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Convergent evolution |
Process in which unrelated species from similar environments have adaptations that seem very similar |
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Analogous structures |
Similarities among unrelated species that result from convergent evolution |
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Derived character |
Homologous characteristics that unites organisms as a group |
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Cladogram |
Phylogenetic tree constructed from a series of two-way branch points, suggesting ancestral relationships among species |
