AP BIOLOGY UNIT 7
Catastrophism - ANSa principle that states that geologic change occurs suddenly
Uniformitarianism - ANSis the idea that the geologic processes that operate today also operated
in the past
Adaptations - ANStraits that improve an individual's ability to survive and reproduce
Natural Selection - ANSprocess by which individuals that are better suited to their environment
survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest
Homology - ANSthe quality of being similar or corresponding in position or value or structure or
function
Homologous Structures - ANSsame structure but different function
Analogous Structures - ANSspecies that have the same function but different structure
Convergent Evolution - ANSprocess by which unrelated organisms independently evolve
similarities when adapting to similar environments
Evolutionary Tree - ANSA branching diagram that reflects different species that in the beginning
originated from a common ancestor however as time passed they diverged
Vestigial Structures - ANSremnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a
species' ancestors, but has no clear function in the modern species
Microevolution - ANSsmall populations are most affected, evolution on the smallest scale—a
generation-to-generation change in the frequencies of alleles within a population
Geographic Variation - ANSDifferences between the gene pools of geographically separate
populations or population subgroups.
Cline - ANSA graded change in a character along a geographic axis.
Population - ANSa group of organisms of the same species populating a given area
Gene Pool - ANSall of the alleles in all the individuals that make up a population
Hardy-Weinberg Principle - ANSprinciple that allele frequencies in a population will remain
constant unless one or more factors cause the frequencies to change
Catastrophism - ANSa principle that states that geologic change occurs suddenly
Uniformitarianism - ANSis the idea that the geologic processes that operate today also operated
in the past
Adaptations - ANStraits that improve an individual's ability to survive and reproduce
Natural Selection - ANSprocess by which individuals that are better suited to their environment
survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest
Homology - ANSthe quality of being similar or corresponding in position or value or structure or
function
Homologous Structures - ANSsame structure but different function
Analogous Structures - ANSspecies that have the same function but different structure
Convergent Evolution - ANSprocess by which unrelated organisms independently evolve
similarities when adapting to similar environments
Evolutionary Tree - ANSA branching diagram that reflects different species that in the beginning
originated from a common ancestor however as time passed they diverged
Vestigial Structures - ANSremnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a
species' ancestors, but has no clear function in the modern species
Microevolution - ANSsmall populations are most affected, evolution on the smallest scale—a
generation-to-generation change in the frequencies of alleles within a population
Geographic Variation - ANSDifferences between the gene pools of geographically separate
populations or population subgroups.
Cline - ANSA graded change in a character along a geographic axis.
Population - ANSa group of organisms of the same species populating a given area
Gene Pool - ANSall of the alleles in all the individuals that make up a population
Hardy-Weinberg Principle - ANSprinciple that allele frequencies in a population will remain
constant unless one or more factors cause the frequencies to change
