Biology I: Modern Biology, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, © 2009
Vocabulary Unit 4: Evolution & Ecology
Chapter 14: History of Life, pp 279-290
1 archaea; 2 biogenesis; 3 chemosynthesis; 4 coacervate; 5 cyanobacteria; 6 endosymbiosis;
7 half-life; 8 isotope; 9 mass number; 10 microsphere; 11 ozone; 12 radioactive decay;
13 radioactive isotope; 14 radiometric dating; 15 ribozyme; 16 spontaneous generation
1 related group of unicellular organisms, many of which survive under extremely harsh conditions
2 principle that states that all living things come from other living things
3 oxidation of various inorganic substances, such as S, provide the energy by which CO2 is used as
organisms’ C source for assembly of organic molecules
4 cell-like structure forming spontaneously in labs as collections of droplets that are composed of
molecules of different types, including lipids, amino acids, & sugars
5 a group of photosynthetic, unicellular prokaryotes
6 mutually beneficial relationship between the primitive eukaryote & the prokaryote it engulfed
7 the length of time it takes for one-half of any size sample of an isotope to decay to a stable form
8 atoms of the same element that differ in the # of neutrons (and therefore their mass number)
9 the total number of protons and neutrons of an atom
10 cell-like structure forming spontaneously in labs, spherical in shape, composed of many protein
molecules that are organized as a membrane
11 O3, formed from reactive O species bonding to O2, comprises a protective layer in upper atmosphere
12 process whereby nuclei release particles or radiant energy, or both, until nuclei become stable
13 isotopes undergoing radioactive decay
14 method of establishing the age of materials by comparing the percentages of a radioactive (parent)
isotope to its stable (daughter) isotope
15 an RNA molecule that can act as a catalyst and promote specific chemical reactions
16 process in which living things can arise from nonliving things
Chapter 15: Theory of Evolution, pp 297-310
1 absolute age; 2 adaptation; 3 adaptive radiation; 4 analogous structure; 5 artificial selection.. continued
1 the time since formation of rocks; determined by radiometric dating
2 a trait that makes an individual successful in its environment
3 when a new population in a new environment undergoes divergent evolution until the population fills
many parts of the environment
4 structures with closely related functions that did NOT derive from the same ancestral structure
5 process occurring when a human breeder chooses individuals that will parent the next generation
Chapter 15: Theory of Evolution, pp 297-310 (continued)
6 biogeography; 7 coevolution; 8 convergent evolution; 9 divergent evolution; 10 evolution; 11 fitness;
12 fossil; 13 homologous structure; 14 natural selection; 15 phylogeny; 16 relative age; 17 strata;
18 superposition; 19 vestigial structure BONUS WORDS: 20 catastrophism; 21 uniformitarianism;
22 inheritance of acquired characteristics; 23 descent with modifications; 24 acclimatization
6 study of the locations of organisms around the world
7 process in which 2 or more species have evolved adaptions to each other’s influence
8 process by which different species evolve similar traits
9 process by which descendants of a single ancestor diversify into species that each fit different parts of
the environment
10 development of new types of organisms from preexisting types of organisms over time
11 a measure of an individual’s hereditary contribution to the next generation
12 remains or traces of an organism that died long ago
13 anatomical structures that occur in different species and that originated by heredity from a structure
in the most common ancestor of the species
14 theory describing the mechanism for descent with modification
15 the relationship by ancestry among groups of organisms
16 age compared to that of other fossils (references the geologic time scale)
17 rock layers; formed as new layers of rock are deposited over time
18 the principle stating that if rock strata have not been disturbed, the lowest stratum was formed earliest
19 structures seeming to serve no function but resembling structures with functional roles in related
organisms
20 sudden geologic catastrophes caused mass extinctions
21 geological processes responsible for shaping the earth in the past still currently work in the same way
22 organisms could pass on traits acquired by experiences or behavior to their offspring
23 every species must have descended by reproduction from preexisting species & that species must be
able to change over time
24 s short-term process in which physiological changes take place in a single being in its own lifetime
Chapter 16: Population Genetics & Speciation, pp 317-330
1 allele frequency; 2 bell curve; 3 biological species concept; 4 directional selection … continued
1 the value determined by dividing the # of a certain allele by the total # of alleles in the population
2 statistical graph showing the frequency distribution of trait, the shape of which looks like a bell
3 idea that a species is a population of individuals that can successfully interbred but can’t breed with
other populations
4 individuals that display a more extreme form of a trait have greater fitness than average individuals
Chapter 16: Population Genetics & Speciation, pp 317-330, continued
5 disruptive selection; 6 emigration; 7 gene flow; 8 gene pool; 9 genetic drift; 10 geographic isolation;
11 gradualism; 12 Hardy-Weinberg genetic equilibrium; 13 immigration; 14 microevolution;
15 morphology; 16 phenotype frequency; 17 population genetics; 18 punctuated equilibrium;
19 reproductive isolation; 20 stabilizing selection; 21 sexual selection; 22 speciation
BONUS: 23 assortative mating; 24 allopatric speciation; 25 prezygotic isolation; 26 postzygotic
isolation; 27 sympatric speciation
5 individuals with either extreme variation of a trait have greater fitness than the average individual
6 movement of individuals out of a population
7 process of genes moving from one population to another
8 the total genetic information available in a population
9 phenomenon by which allele frequencies in a population change as a result of random events/chance
10 physical separation of members of a population
11 the idea that speciation occurs at a regular, gradual rate
12 genotype frequencies in a population tend to remain constant across generations unless acted upon
by outside influences
13 movement of individuals into a population
14 change in the collective genetic material of a population
15 the internal & external structure and appearance of an organism
16 the value equal to the # of individuals with a particular phenotype divided by the total # of
individuals in the population
17 study of evolution from a genetic point of view
18 idea that speciation occurs in sudden, rapid “bursts” relative to the geological time frame
19 situation resulting from barriers to successful breeding between population groups in the same area
20 individuals with the average form of a trait have the highest fitness
21 the tendency of females to choose the males with whom they mate based on certain traits
22 the process of species formation
23 selection of a mate based on similarity of traits
24 species arising as a result of geographic isolation
25 premating isolation, i.e., occurring before fertilization
26 postmating isolation, i.e., occurring after fertilization
27 speciation occurring when 2 subpopulations become reproductively isolated within the same
geographical area
Chapter 18: Introduction to Ecology, pp 359-374
Vocabulary
1 abiotic factor; 2 acclimation; 3 ammonification; 4 biogeochemical cycle; 5 biomass; 6 biosphere;
7 biotic factor; 8 carbon cycle; 9 carnivore; 10 chemosynthesis; 11 community; 12 consumer;
13 decomposer; 14 denitrification; 15 detritivore; 16 dormancy; 17 ecological model; 18 ecology;
19 ecosystem; 20 food chain; 21 food web; 22 gross primary productivity; 23 groundwater; 24 habitat;
25 herbivore; 26 interdependence; 27 migration; 28 net primary productivity (continued)…
1 the nonliving, physical & chemical characteristics of the environment
2 process by where organisms to adjust their tolerance to abiotic factors
3 process by which decomposers degrade urine & dung, releasing the nitrogen as NH3 to form NH4+
4 the circulation of substances through living organisms from or to the environment
5 the organic material that has been produced in an ecosystem
6 the thin volume of Earth and its atmosphere that supports life
7 the living components of the environment
8 the movement of carbon from the abiotic to the biotic and back to the abiotic parts of the environment
9 consumers that eat other consumers (“meat-eating”)
10 process by which organisms use energy stored in inorganic compounds to make carbohydrates
11 all the interacting organisms living in an area
12 heterotrophs, i.e., those that eat producers
13 detritivores that cause decay by breaking down complex molecules into simpler molecules
14 process by which nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere
15 consumers that eat the waste (dead organisms and excrements) of an ecosystem
16 long-term state of reduced activity during periods of unfavorable conditions
17 a physical, conceptual, or mathematical representation/description of components of an ecosystem
18 study of interactions between organisms and the living & nonliving components of their environment
19 all the organisms & nonliving environment found in a particular place
20 a single pathway of feeding relationships among organisms that results in energy transfer
21 a diagram of feeding relationships among all the organisms in an ecosystem
22 rate at which producers capture sunlight’s energy to produce organic compounds
23 water in the soil or underground formations of porous rock
24 the place where an organism lives
25 consumers that eat producers (“plant-eaters”)
26 interconnectedness of organisms with one another and their environment
27 movement of species to a more favorable habitat
28 the rate at which biomass accumulates
(continued) 29 niche; 30 nitrification; 31 nitrogen cycle; 32 nitrogen-fixing bacteria;
33 nitrogen fixation; 34 omnivore; 35 phosphorus cycle; 36 population; 37 producer; 38 tolerance curve;
39 transpiration; 40 trophic level; 41 water cycle
29 the specific role, or way of life, of a species within its environment
30 process by which bacteria use NH3 & oxidize it into NO2- and NO331 the complex movement of nitrogen through the ecosystem
32 soil- and root-dwelling bacteria that transform N2 gas into usable forms
33 the process of converting N2 gas to nitrate
34 consumers that eat both consumers and producers (“all-eaters”)
35 movement of phosphorous from the environment to organisms then back to the environment
36 all the members of a species living in one place at one time
37 autotrophs, i.e., organisms that capture energy and use it to make organic molecules
38 a graph of performance vs. values of an environmental variable, such as temperature or precipitation
39 process by which water evaporates from the leaves of plants in terrestrial ecosystems
40 the position in a sequence of energy transfers
41 the movement of water between earthen and atmospheric reservoirs