Biology Notes
Biology: Dr. Hensley / Mrs. Ingram
2016 Evolution Unit Vocabulary
Divergent Evolution (not in textbook) –New species evolving from common
ancestor
Commo
n
Ancesto
r
Convergent Evolution – “Come together” Develop similar features because they
are doing same thing in same environment. Example: Ocean = fish, birds, and
mammals. Dolphins (mammals) look a lot like Sharks (fish).
Coevolution - When there is a relationship between 2 types of organisms as one
evolves, the other must evolve.
Lynx
Rabbit
Adaptive Radiation (p. 436) – “Tweak the Beak” in many directions with
common ancestor in the center such as Darwin’s Galapagos Finches
Original Finch
Gradualism – When evolution takes place at a steady pace over a long time
Punctuated Equilibrium – A rapid, catastrophic change in the environment such
as the ice age or meteor hitting the Earth making a major change in the
environment and increases rate of evolution in species.