AP Biology Vocabulary & Roots: Ch. 22
1. adaptation-Inherited characteristic of an organism that enhances its survival and reproduction in
specific environments.
2. analogous-Having characteristics that are similar because of convergent evolution, not
homology.
3. artificial selection-The selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the
occurrence of desirable traits.
4. biogeography-The study of the past and present distribution of species.
5. catastrophism- The principle that events in the past occurred suddenly and were caused by
different mechanisms than those operating today. See uniformitarianism.
6. continental drift-The slow movement of the continental plates across Earth’s surface.
7. convergent evolution- the evolution of similar features in independent evolutionary lineages.
8. endemic- Referring to a species that is confined to a specific, relatively small geographic area.
9. evolutionary tree-A branching diagram that reflects a hypothesis about evolutionary
relationships among groups of organisms.
10. fossil-A preserved remnant or impression of an organism that lived in the past.
11. homologous structures-Structures in different species that are similar because of common
ancestry.
12. homology- Similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry.
13. marsupial-mammal, such as a koala, kangaroo, or opossum, whose young complete their
embryonic development inside a maternal pouch called the marsupium.
14. natural selection-A process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more
likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics.
15. paleontology- The scientific study of fossils.
16. Pangaea- The supercontinent that formed near the end of the Paleozoic era, when plate
movements brought all the landmasses of Earth together.
17. stratum- (plural, strata) A rock layer formed when new layers of sediment cover older ones and
compress them.
18. trait-Any detectable variant in a genetic character.
19. uniformitarianism-The principle stating that mechanisms of change are constant over time. See
catastrophism
20. vestigial structure-A structure of marginal, if any, importance to an organism. Vestigial
structures are historical remnants of structures that had important functions in ancestors.
Word Roots
bio- = life; geo- = the Earth (biogeography: the study of the past and present distribution of species)
end- = within (endemic: a type of species that is found only in one region and nowhere else in the
world)
homo- = like, resembling (homology: similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry)
paleo- = ancient (paleontology: the scientific study of fossils)
vestigi- = trace (vestigial organs: structures of marginal, if any, importance to an organism,
historical remnants of structures that had important functions in ancestors)
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