chapter 15
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34 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 analogy | The similarity of structure between two species that are not closely related; attributable to convergent evolution |
| binomial | The two-part latinized name of a species, consisting of genus and specific epithet |
| clade | Each evolutionary branch in a cladogram |
| cladistics | The scientific search for clades, taxonomic groups composed of an ancestor and all its descendants |
| cladogram | A dichotomous phylogenetic tree that branches repeatedly |
| class | In classification, the taxonomic category above order |
| continental drift | The major geographic factor that spatially distributed life and evolutionary episodes such as mass extinctions |
| convergent evolution | The independent development of similarity between species as a result of their having similar ecological roles and selection pressures |
| domain | A taxonomic category above the kingdom level; Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya |
| evo-devo | The research field wherein scientists intertwine evolutionary biology and developmental biology |
| exaptation | A structure that evolves and functions in one environmental context but that can perform additional functions in a new environment |
| family | In classification, the taxonomic category above genus |
| five-kingdom system | A system of taxonomic classification based on kingdoms Monera, Plantae, Fungi, Animalia, and Protista |
| genus | A taxonomic category above the species level, designated by the first word of a species' binomial Latin name |
| geologic record | Grouped into four eras: Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic |
| Gondwana | The southern land mass that came from the supercontinent Pangaea in the process of continental drift |
| in-group | In a cladistic study of evolutionary relationships among taxa of organisms, the group of taxa that is actually being analyzed |
| Laurasia | The northern land mass that came from the supercontinent Pangaea in the process of continental drift |
| macroevolution | Evolutionary change on a grand scale, inlcuding origin of new taxonomic groups, adaptive radiation, and mass extinction |
| molecular clocks | Evolutionary timing methods based on the observation that at least some regions of genomes evolve at constant rates |
| monophyletic | Pertaining to a taxon derived from a single ancestral species that gave rise to no species in any other taxa |
| order | In classification, the taxonomic category above family |
| out-group | A species or group of species that is closely related to the group of species being studied |
| Pangaea | The supercontinent formed near the end of the Paleozoic era when plate movements brought all the land masses of Earth together |
| parsimony | In scientific studies, the search for the least complex explanation for an observed phenomenon |
| phylogenetic trees | Diagrams that trace evolutionary relationships as best as they can be determined. |
| phylogeny | The evolutionary history of a species or group of related species |
| phylum | A taxonomic category divided into classes |
| plate tectonics | The forces within the Earth that cause movements of the crust |
| radiometric dating | A method for determining the ages of rocks and fossils on a scale of absolute time, based on the half-life of radioactive isotopes |
| shared derived characters | Homologous features that have changed from a primitive (ancestral) condition and that are unique to an evolutionary lineage; |
| shared primitive characters | Homologous features found in members of a lineage and also in the ancestors of the lineage; ancestral features |
| systematics | The study of biological diversity in an environmental context, encompassing taxonomy and reconstruction of phylogenetic history |
| taxon | The named taxonomic unit at any given level |
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