Biology Unit 2

Front 1

Adaptation

Back 1

an inherited modification of structure or function that allows an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

Front 2

Allele Frequency

Back 2

the number of times a particular allele occurs in a gene pool compared to the total number of alleles for that particular gene

Front 3

Analogous Structure

Back 3

body parts in different species that have the same appearance or function, but are not the result of common descent

Front 4

Archaea

Back 4

the domain that includes prokaryotes that are not bacteria

Front 5

Artificial Selection

Back 5

the process of breeding only livestock or crops with desirable characteristics in order to increase the frequency of those characteristics in the offspring

Front 6

Bacteria

Back 6

the domain that includes all bacteria

Front 7

Behavioral Isolation

Back 7

a form of reproductive isolation that results from differences in mating rituals or other behaviors

Front 8

Binomial Nomenclature

Back 8

the system of assigning a unique two-word scientific name to all organisms

Front 9

Biogeography

Back 9

the study of the past and present geographical distribution of species found throughout the world

Front 10

Clade

Back 10

a taxonomic group that includes a single ancestor and all its descendants

Front 11

Cladogram

Back 11

a branching diagram showing the evolutionary relationships between species

Front 12

Class

Back 12

a group of closely related orders

Front 13

Comparative anatomy

Back 13

the study of the similarities and differences in anatomy between different species

Front 14

Comparative Embryology

Back 14

the comparison of the earliest stages of development between different species

Front 15

Comparative Genetics

Back 15

the study of the similarities and differences in the DNA sequences of different species

Front 16

Derived Character

Back 16

a characteristic that is only found in members of the same clade

Front 17

Dichotomous Key

Back 17

a tool in which a series of couplets describe characteristics which are used to identify an unknown organism

Front 18

Domain

Back 18

a larger taxonomic group than kingdom

Front 19

Eukarya

Back 19

the domain that includes all eukaryotes

Front 20

Evolution

Back 20

the process by which organisms develop over time through modification from an ancient ancestor

Front 21

Family

Back 21

a group of closely related genera

Front 22

Fitness

Back 22

the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

Front 23

Fossil

Back 23

the preserved remains or traces of an ancient organism

Front 24

Gene Pool

Back 24

the total number of genes, including all the different alleles for those genes, present in a population at a particular time

Front 25

Genetic Drift

Back 25

the accumulation of random genetic changes in a small population that result in a change in allele frequency

Front 26

Genetic Variation

Back 26

the difference in the DNA sequence of individuals or populations

Front 27

Genus

Back 27

a group of closely related species

Front 28

Geographical Isolation

Back 28

a form of reproductive isolation that results from physical barriers

Front 29

Homologous Structure

Back 29

body parts in different species that may not serve the same function but have a similar structure due to common descent

Front 30

Homology

Back 30

the correspondence of certain features between species as a result of shared ancestry

Front 31

Kingdom

Back 31

a group of closely related phyla

Front 32

Natural Selection

Back 32

a nonrandom mechanism of evolution in which the fittest organisms survive and leave the most offspring

Front 33

Order

Back 33

a group of closely related families

Front 34

Phylogeny

Back 34

the evolutionary history of a group

Front 35

Phylum

Back 35

a group of closely related classes

Front 36

Polygenic Trait

Back 36

a trait that is controlled by more than one gene

Front 37

Principle of Common

Descent

Back 37

the idea that all organisms share an ancient common ancestor

Front 38

Reproductive Isolation

Back 38

a situation that results when two populations of the same species are prevented from interbreeding

Front 39

Single-Gene Trait

Back 39

a trait that is controlled by a single gene

Front 40

Speciation

Back 40

the formation of a new species

Front 41

Species

Back 41

group of similar organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Front 42

Survival of the Fittest

Back 42

the idea that organisms adapt to their environment through natural selection so that the best suited organisms survive and pass their genes on to their offspring

Front 43

Systematics

Back 43

the naming and grouping of organism based on their evolutionary relationships

Front 44

Taxon

Back 44

a level of organization in which organisms are grouped

Front 45

Temporal Isolation

Back 45

a form of reproductive isolation that results from differences in reproductive timing

Front 46

Uniformitarianism

Back 46

Uniformitarianism claims that all geological processes that occurred throughout Earth’s history and formed the geological structures we see today are constant over time.

Front 47

Variation

Back 47

the difference between individuals in a population

Front 48

Vestigial Structure

Back 48

homologous structures that have lost most or all of their original function