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Chapter 22 PREP
PREP Senior AP Bio
17
Biology
12th Grade
10/17/2012

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Term
artificial selection
Definition
The selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the occurrence of desirable traits.
Term
biogeography
Definition
The study of the past and present distribution of species.
Term
catastrophism
Definition
The hypothesis by Georges Cuvier that each boundary between strata corresponded in time to a catastrophe, such as a flood or drought, that had destroyed many of the species living there at that time.
Term
descent with modification
Definition
Darwin’s initial phrase for the general process of evolution.
Term
evolution
Definition
All the changes that have transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity that characterizes it today.
Term
evolutionary adapation
Definition
An accumulation of inherited characteristics that enhance organisms’ ability to survive and reproduce in specific environments.
Term
fossil
Definition
A preserved remnant or impression of an organism that lived in the past.
Term
gradualism
Definition
A view of Earth’s history that attributes profound change to the cumulative product of slow but continuous processes.
Term
homologous structures
Definition
Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry.
Term
homology
Definition
Similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry.
Term
natural selection
Definition
Differential success in the reproduction of different phenotypes resulting from the interaction of organisms with their environment. Evolution occurs when natural selection causes changes in relative frequencies of alleles in the gene pool.
Term
paleontology
Definition
The scientific study of fossils.
Term
sedimentary rock
Definition
Rock formed from sand and mud that once settled in layers on the bottom of seas, lakes, and marshes. Sedimentary rocks are often rich in fossils.
Term
taxonomy
Definition
A set of characteristics used to assess the similarities and differences between various species, leading to a classification scheme; the branch of biology concerned with naming and classifying the diverse forms of life.
Term
uniformitarianism
Definition
Charles Lyell’s idea that geologic processes have not changed throughout Earth’s history.
Term
vestigial organ
Definition
A structure of marginal, if any, importance to an organism. Vestigial organs are historical remnants of structures that had important functions in ancestors.
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