Biology Final

Front 1

Acquired characteristics/traits

Back 1

A modification or change in an organ or tissue during the lifetime of an organism due to use, disuse, or environmental effects, and not inherited.

Front 2

Adaptation

Back 2

Inherited characteristics that increases an organisms chance of survival

Front 3

Adaptive radiation

Back 3

process by which a single species or small group of species evolves into several different forms that live in different ways; rapid growth in the diversity of a group of organisms

Front 4

Allele

Back 4

one of a number of different forms of a gene

Front 5

Artificial selection

Back 5

selection by humans for breeding of useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms

Front 6

Coevolution

Back 6

process by which two species evolve in response to changes in each other

Front 7

Convergent evolution

Back 7

process by which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments

Front 8

Directional selection

Back 8

form of natural selection in which the entire curve moves; occurs when individuals at one end of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals in the middle or at the other end of the curve

Front 9

Disruptive selection

Back 9

form of natural selection in which a single curve splits into two; occurs when individuals at the upper and lower ends of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals near the middle

Front 10

Divergent radiation

Back 10

The process by which a species evolves unto two or more descenant or different forms

Front 11

Diversity

Back 11

A range of different species in a ecosystem

Front 12

DNA replication

Back 12

The process by which a double stranded DNA molecule is copied to produce two identical DNA molecules

Front 13

Dominant

Back 13

The gene that controls the characteristics even if only one parent passes it on

Front 14

Endocrine system

Back 14

The collection of glands of an organism that secrete hormones directly into the circulatory system

Front 15

Eukaryote

Back 15

organism whose cells contain nuclei

Front 16

Fitness

Back 16

ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

Front 17

Gene pool

Back 17

combined genetic information of all the members of a particular population

Front 18

Genetic drift

Back 18

random change in allele frequencies that occurs in small populations

Front 19

Genotype

Back 19

genetic makeup of an organism

Front 20

Geographic isolation

Back 20

Form of reproductive isolation in which two populations are separated physically by geographic barriers such as rivers, mountains, or stretches of water

Front 21

Gradualism

Back 21

The hypothesis that evolution proceeds chiefly by the accumulation of gradual changes

Front 22

Heterozygous

Back 22

term used to refer to an organism that has two different alleles for the same trait

Front 23

Homozygous

Back 23

term used to refer to an organism that has two identical alleles for a particular trait

Front 24

Hormones

Back 24

substance produced in one part of an organism that affects another part of the same organism

Front 25

Hybrid

Back 25

offspring of crosses between parents with different traits

Front 26

Index fossil

Back 26

distinctive fossil used to compare the relative ages of fossils

Front 27

Natural selection

Back 27

process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest

Front 28

Nervous system

Back 28

The network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body

Front 29

Neurons

Back 29

cell that carries messages throughout the nervous system

Front 30

Nucleic acids

Back 30

macromolecule containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus

Front 31

Phenotype

Back 31

Physical traits of an organism

Front 32

Polygenetic

Back 32

trait controlled by two or more genes

Front 33

Prokaryote

Back 33

unicellular organism lacking a nucleus

Front 34

Protein synthesis

Back 34

The process by which individual amino acids are connected to each other in a specific order dictated by nucleotide sequence in DNA

Front 35

Punctuated equilibrium

Back 35

pattern of evolution in which long stable periods are interrupted by brief periods of more rapid change

Front 36

Radioactive dating

Back 36

technique in which scientists calculate the age of a sample based on the amount of remaining radioactive isotopes it contains

Front 37

Relative dating

Back 37

method of determining the age of a fossil by comparing its placement with that of fossils in other layers of rock

Front 38

Relative frequency

Back 38

number of times an allele occurs in a gene pool compared with the number of times other alleles occur

Front 39

Selective breeding

Back 39

method of breeding that allows only those individual organisms with desired characteristics to produce the next generation

Front 40

Single gene trait

Back 40

Trait controlled by a single gene that has two alleles

Front 41

Stabilizing selection

Back 41

Form of natural selection by which the center of the curve remains in its current position; occurs when individuals near the center of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals at either end

Front 42

Temporal isolation

Back 42

form of reproductive isolation in which two populations reproduce at different times

Front 43

Vestigial structure

Back 43

organ that serves no useful function in an organism

Front 44

Three parts of a nucleotide

Back 44

Nitrogen base, five base sugar phosphate group. Sugar to base. Phosphate sugar chain

Front 45

Blood type

Back 45