Evolution Matching Vocab Quiz

Combined genetic information of all the members of a particular population

remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a species' ancestors, but has no clear function in the modern species (appendix in humans)

structures that the same or similar function, but do not have a common evolutionary origin

similar in position, structure, and evolutionary origin but not necessarily in function

ability to survive and reproduce

The gradual change in a species over time

A diagram that is based on patterns of shared, derived traits and that shows the evolutionary relationships between groups of organisms

Evolutionary history of a species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

group of closely related species; the first part of the scientific name in binomial nomenclature

A system for giving each organism a two-word scientific name that consists of the genus name followed by the species name

Movement of alleles into or out of a population due to the migration of individuals to or from the population

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

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

a mutually beneficial relationship in which one organism lives within another

Study of past and present distribution of organisms

study of form

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

A branching diagram that represents a hypothesis about the evolutionary history of a group of organisms.

A form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates.

newly evolved features, such as feathers, that do not appear in the fossils of common ancestors

The hiding of something as a result of its appearance

The ability of an animal to look like another more harmful animal

change in allele frequencies as a result of the migration of a small subgroup of a population

one species developing into several different species

Evolution toward similar characteristics in unrelated species

Genetic drift resulting from the reduction of a population, typically by a natural disaster, such that the surviving population is no longer genetically representative of the original population.

more-primitive characteristic that appeared in common ancestors

The process of grouping things based on their similarities Taxonomy The science of classifying organisms

random change in allele frequencies that occurs in small populations

occurs when natural selection favors one of the extreme variations of a trait

the study of the similarities and differences in the embryos of different species

the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.

Number of times that an allele occurs in a gene pool compared with the number of alleles in that pool for the same gene

A natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment.

heritable characteristic that increases an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in an environment

Any difference between individuals of the same species.

Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called natural selection

Separation of species or populations so that they cannot interbreed and produce fertile offspring