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| Common Descent with Modification |
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Definition
| The process by which species undergo modification through generations, with such modifications resulting in the formation of new, separate species. |
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| This is the quality of having the same structure owing to inheritance from a common ancestor (ex. forelimb structures in bats, cats, and gorillas). |
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| The physical form of an organism |
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This is the process by which the adaption of organisms to their environment selects those traits that will be passed on more frequently.
Basically- traits that are beneficial allow for the survival of the organism carrying them. These animals live longer, bear more offspring, and thus tilt the genetic pool in their direction. |
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| This is a technique for determining the age of an object, such as a fossil, by measuring the decay of the radioactive elements within it. |
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| This is a structure in an organism whose original function has been lost during the course of evolution. |
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| An evolutionary modification in the structure or behavior of organisms over generations that makes them better suited to their environment. |
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| One of the alternative forms of a single gene, such as the color of a feature. |
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| A change in allele frequencies in a population due to chance, following a sharp reduction in the population's size. This is one of the factors that potentiates genetic drift. |
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| In evolution, this is the type of natural selection that moves a characteristic towards one of its extremes. |
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| In evolution, the type of natural selection that moves a characteristic toward both of its extremes, operating against individual that are average for that characteristic. This type of selection seems to be the less common in nature than directional or stabilizing selection. |
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| Any genetically based phenotypic change in a population of organisms over successive generations. Evolution can also be though of as the process by which species can undergo modification over generations, sometimes resulting in a new species. |
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| This is the phenomenon by which an initial gene pool for a population is established by means of that population moving to a new, isolated area. |
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| This is how successful an organism is in passing on its genes to its offspring. The organisms with traits that cause them to be the best adapted to surviving in their environment are the “fittest”. |
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| The movement of genes from one population to another. |
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| The entire collection of alleles in a population of a species. |
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| The chance change of allele frequencies in a population, with such alterations having the greatest impact on small populations. |
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| The genetic makeup of an organism, including all of the genes that lie along its chromosomes. |
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| Evolution that results in the formation of a new species.
(Think: macro=big: big evolution) |
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| A change of allele frequencies in a population over a short period of time. This is the basis for all macroevolution.
(Think: micro=little: little evolution) |
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| A regular movement of animals from one location to a distant location. This is also the movement of individuals from one population into the territory of another population. |
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| A physical function, bodily characteristic, or behavior of an organism. |
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| All the members of a species that live in a defined geographic region at a given time. |
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| In evolution, a form of natural selection that produces differential reproductive success based on differential success in obtaining partners. |
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| Groups of interbreeding natural populations which are reproductively isolated from other such species. |
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| In evolution, the type of natural selection in which intermediate forms of a given characteristic are favored over either extreme. |
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