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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
adaptive radiation
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A short burst of evolutionary activity in which many new lifeforms develop in a brief span of time from a single ancestor.
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analogous structures
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Structures that share a common function but not necessarily a common orgin.
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evolution
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An unpredictable and natural process of descent over time w/ genetic modification. Is influenced by natural selection, chance, historicale events, and changing environments.
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evolutionary tree
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Map that illustrates evolutionary change and relationships b/w life-forms.
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extinction
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the loss of a particular life-form completely.
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fossil
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Preserved remnant of an organism. Is one of our richest sources of information about life-forms that lived in the past.
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gene flow
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The physical movement of alleles caused by movement of individuals into (immigration) or out of (emigration) a population. It tends to mix pools of genes that might not otherwise mingle.
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genetic drift
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Random changes in allele frequency b/c of change events.
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hominid
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Common name for members of the family HOMINIDAE. Include present-day humans (HOMO SAPIENS) and all of their extinct ancestors of the genus AUSTRALOPITHECUS and the genus HOMO.
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hominoid
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A subgroup of primates that diverged from a common ancestor of old world monkeys to become the great apes (gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees)
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HOMO HABILIS
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1st distinctly human ancestor. they showed brain enlargement, changes in teeth and facial features, a decline in sexual dimorphism, and conversion to a diet that included meat. May also have used tools.
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HOMO SAPIENS
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Genus and species of moderm humans, thought to envolved about 140,000 to 100,000 years ago.
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homologous structures
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body structures that share a common origin.
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macroevolution
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Large-scale evolutionary trends or changes that apply to a whole groups of spices, often as a result of changing environments or major historical events.
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mammal
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vertebrates that have hair during all or part of their lives, and mammary glands.
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microevolution
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Evolution as a result of genetic changes that give rise to new species.
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natural selection
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the process by which, according to Darwin, individuals w/ traits that make them more fit for their local environments tend to survive and reproduce. most changes in allele frequency in a population are the result of mutuations coupled with.
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population
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A group of individuals pf the same species that occupy the same geographic area and interact w/ each other.
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primate
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an order of mammals w/ five digits on their hands, fairly flat fingernails and toenails, and forward-facing eyes adapted for stereoscopic vision.
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species
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the smallest classification category of life. Is a group of organisims that under natural conditions tend to breed within that group.
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vestigial structures
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A structure that may have had a function in some ancestor but which no longer serves any function. the human coccyx is a ..... structure.
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biogeochemical cycle
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A cycle in which the chemicals that compose living organisms are recycled b/w organisms and Earth itself.
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biomass
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total living component of an ecosystem.
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biosphere
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The portion of the surface of Earth (land, water, and air) inhabited by living organisms.
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biotic potential
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Maximum growth rate of a population under ideal conditions.
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carnivore
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Organism that feedsonly on animals.
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carrying capacity
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the maximum number of individuals in a population that a given environment can sustain indefinitely.
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community
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Array of several different populations that coexist and interact within the same environment.
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consumer
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In ecosystems, an organism that cannot produce its own food and must feed on other organisms. Also called a heterotroph
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decomposer
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An organism that obtains energy by chamically breaking down the products, wastes or remains of other organisms.
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demographic transition
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A progression of changes followed by many nations in which the society gradually moves from poor living conditions and a high death rate to improve economic conditions in a declining death rate.
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denitrification
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A process in which nitrate is converted to nitrogren gas
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Ecological pyramid
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Graph representing the bio mass
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Ecology
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Study of the relationship between organism and their physcal environment.
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Ecosystem
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All living organism, all matter and all energy in a given environment.
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Environmental resistance
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Factors in the environment that limit population growth in particular geographic area.
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Fertility rate
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Number of children that each female has during her life time.
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Foot web
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Depicts interactions between producers and consumers in an ecosystem
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Fossil fuels
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A carbon containing compound (coal, oil or gas)that was formed millions of years ago and they convert by sediment
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Geographic range
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The area of earth over which a particular species is distributed.
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Habitat
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The type of locations where an organism chooses to live.
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Herbivore
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only eats plants
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Niche
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The role of an organism in its community
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Nitrifications
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The formation of nitrates by any of several means including nitrifying bacteria, lightening and nitrate producing fertilizer factories.
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Nitrogen fixation
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The process whereby certain bacteria coinverts nitrogen gas to amonium
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omnivore
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Eats plants and animals
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photosynthesis
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the process by which plants capture the energy in sunlight and convert it into chamical energy for their own use.
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population
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A group of individuals of the same species that occupy the same geographic are and interact with each other.
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producer
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An organism that makes its own organic molecule from inorganic compounds foum in water, air and soil, utilizing energy provided by the sun. Also called an autotroph
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replacement fertility rate
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2.1 children per woman.
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