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Biodiversity
Chapter 22 vocab
17
Biology
Undergraduate 1
03/16/2011

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Term
evolution
Definition
Descent with modification; the idea that living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from the present-day ones; also defined more narrowly as the change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation
Term
fossil
Definition
a preserved remnant or impression of an organism that lived in the past
Term
stratum
Definition
a rock layer formed when new layers of sediment cover older ones and compress them
Term
Paleontology
Definition
the scientific study of fossils
Term
catastrophism
Definition
the principle that events in the past occurred suddenly and were caused by different mechanisms than those operating today.
Term
uniformitarianism
Definition
the principle stating that mechanisms of change are constant over time
Term
adaptation
Definition
inherited characteristic of an organism that enhances its survival and reproduction in specific environments
Term
artificial selection
Definition
the selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the occurrence of desirable traits
Term
homology
Definition
similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry
Term
homologous structures
Definition
structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry
Term
vestigial structure
Definition
a structure of marginal, if any, importance to an organism. ___ are historical remnants of structures that had important functions in ancestors.
Term
evolutionary tree
Definition
a branching diagram that reflects a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms
Term
convergent evolution
Definition
the evolution of similar features in independent evolutionary lineages.
Term
analogous
Definition
having characteristics that are similar because of convergent evolution, not homology
Term
biogeography
Definition
the study of the past and present distribution of species
Term
continental drift
Definition
the slow movement of the continental plates across Earth's surface
Term
endemic
Definition
referring to a species that is confined to a specific, relatively small geographic area.
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