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Biological Anthropology Chap 1-4

Terms in this set (88)

Learned behavior that is transmitted from person to person

Sociolinguistics

The science of investigating languages' social contexts

Humans and humanlike ancestors

Bicultural approach

The scientific study of the interrelationship between what humans have inherited genetically and from culture

A form of science, based on observations or experiments

An explanation as to why a natural phenomenon takes place

Life forms including humans that live on land versus living in water or trees

Physical shape and appearance

A statement of fact describing a natural phenomenon

Adaptive radiation

The diversification of an ancestral group of organisms into new forms that are adapted to the specific environmental niches

A characteristic or feature that is natural to a given population or environment

Uniformitarianism

The theory that processes that occurred in the geologic past are still at work today

The doctrine asserting that cataclysmic events rather than evolutionary processes are responsible for geologic changes

The theory of evolution through the inheritance of acquired characteristics in which an organism can pass features acquired during its lifetime

As proposed by Darwin, the units of inheritance, supposedly accumulated in the gametes so they could be passed in to offspring

One or more alternative forms of a gene

Evolutionary synthesis

A unified theory of evolution that combines genetics with natural selection

Population genetics

A specialty within the field of genetics; it focuses on the changes on adaptation and evolution

A random change in a gene or chromosome, creating a new trait that may be advantageous or deleterious, or neutral in its effects on the organisms

Admixture, or the exchange or alleles between two populations

The random change in allele frequency from one generation to the next, with greater effect in small populations

The complete set of genetic information-chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA-for an organism or species that represents all the inheritable traits

Refers to nuclear DNA which is identical in the nucleus of each cell type (except red blood cells)

The process of copying nuclear DNA prior to cell division, so that each new daughter cell receives a complete compliment of DNA

All chromosomes, except the sex chromosomes, that occur in pairs in all somatic cells (non-gametes)

DNA whose inheritance can be traced from father to son via the Y chromosome

Free-floating nucleotides

Nucleotides that are present in the nucleus and are used during DNA replication and mRNA synthesis

The process by which homologous chromosomes partially wrap around each other and exchange genetic information during meiosis

The exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes, resulting from a cross over event

A group of alleles that tend to be inherited as a unit due to their closely spaced loci on a single chromosome

A large set of haplotypes-that may be used to define a population

Rearrangements of chromosomes due to the insertion of genetic material from one chromosome to another

Nondisjunctions

Refers to the failure of the chromosomes to properly segregate during meiosis, creating some gametes with abnormal numbers of chromosomes

The condition in which only one of a specific pair of chromosomes is present in a cell's nucleus

The condition in which an additional chromosome exists with the homologous pair

Law of Independent Assortment

Mendel's second law which asserts that the inheritance of one trait does not affect the inheritance of other traits

Refers to the inheritance as a unit of individual genes closely located on a chromosome; an exception to the law of independent assortment

Essential amino acids

Those amino acids that cannot be synthesized in the in the body; they must be supplied by the diet

Structural proteins

Proteins that form an organism's physical attributes

Regulatory proteins

Proteins involved in the expression of control genes

The first step of protein synthesis, involving the creation of mRNA based on the DNA template

The second step of protein synthesis, involving the transfer of amino acids by tRNA to the ribosomes, which are then added to the protein chain

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

The molecules that are responsible for making a chemical copy of a gene needed for a specific protein, that is, for the transcription phase of protein synthesis

Also known as a protein, a chain of amino acids

Sequences of a gene's DNA (also know as exons) that are coded to produce a specific protein

Sequences of a gene's DNA (also known as introns) that are not coded to produce a specific protein

Homeotic (Hox) genes

Responsible for differentiating the specific segments of the body (head, tail, limbs) during embryological development

The location on a chromosome of a specific gene

Refers to the presence of two or more alleles at a locus and where the frequency of the alleles is greater than 1% in the population

Law of Segregation

Mendel's first law, which asserts that two alleles for any given gene or trait are inherited, one from each parent; during gamete production, inly one of the two alleles will be present in the ovum or sperm

Refers to the two different alleles that are equally dominant; both are fully expressed in a heterozygote's phenotype

Refers to one phenotypic trait that is affected by two or more genes

Refers to the heritable changes but without alteration in the genome

The proportion of phenotypic variation in a population that is due to the genetic variation across individuals rather than variation in the environmental conditions experienced by the individuals. This proportion can vary from one population to another, thus it provides a sense of the contribution of genetic influence for each population

A local population of organisms that have similar genes, interbreed, and produce offspring

All the genetic information in the breeding population

Reproductive isolation

Any circumstance that prevents two populations from interbreeding and exchanging genetic material, such as when two populations are separated by a large body of water or a major mountain range

A condition in which the system is stable, balanced, and unchanging

Hardy-Weinberg Law of Equilibrium

A mathematical mode in population genetics that reflects the relationship between frequencies of alleles of genotypes; it can be used to determine whether a population is undergoing evolutionary changes

Point mutations

Replacements of a single nitrogen base with another base, which may or may not affect the amino acid for which the triplet codes

Frameshift mutations

The change in a gene due to the insertion or deletion of one or more nitrogen bases, which causes the subsequent triplets to be rearranged and the codons to be read incorrectly during translation

Transposable elements

Mobile pieces of DNA that can copy themselves into entirely new areas of chromosomes

Kilefelter's Syndrome

A chromosomal trisomy in which males have an extra X chromosome, resulting in XXY condition; affected individuals typically have reduced fertility

Induced mutations

Mutations in the DNA resulting from exposure to toxic chemicals or to radiation

Average number of offspring produced by parents with a particular genotype compared to the number of offspring produced by parents with another genotype

Directional selection

Selection for one allele over the other alleles, causing all frequencies to shift in one direction

Stabilizing selection

Selection against the extreme of the phenotypic distribution, decreasing the genetic diversity for this trait in the population

Disruptive selection

Selection for both extremes of the phenotypic distribution; may eventually lead to a speciation event

Positive selection

Process in which advantageous genetic variants quickly increase in frequency in a population

Sickle cell anemia

A genetic blood disease in which the red blood cells become deformed and sickle-shaped, decreasing their ability to carry oxygen to tissues

Balanced polymorphism

Situation in which selection maintains two or more phenotypes for a specific gene in a population

Refers to any effect caused by humans

The accumulation of random genetic changes in a small population that has become isolated from the parent population due to the genetic input of only a few colonizers

Refers to a population in which individuals breed only with other members of the population

Refers to a population in which individuals breed only with nonmembers of their population

The exchange of genetic material between two or more populations

Demic diffusion

A population's movement into an area previously uninhabited by that group

Founded modern geology with his theory of Earth's formation. Hutton realized that the same natural processes he observed in Scotland had occurred in the past

Rediscovered Hutton's work and the idea of uniformitarianism. Lyell's research, based on examinations of geologic strata, confirmed Hutton's estimate of Earth's very old age

Contributed to science the concept of extinction. The idea was revolutionary because the common perception was that God had created all species, none of which had ever gone extinct

The first to identify cells. This allowed him to determine that fossils represented the past life-forms

Carolus Linnaeus

Known for his contributions to the system of classification used today by all biological scientists. He is also the founder of modern ecology.

The founder of demography, theorized that population size was limited by food supply.

Jean-Baptist Lamarck

Developed an early theory of evolution involving the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Although it was proven wrong, his recognition of the dynamic nature of life in the past made an important contribution to the development of the evolutionary theory

Alfred Russell Wallace

Although Darwin often gets sole credit for the development if the theory of evolution through natural selection, Wallace also contributed substantially

Was a christian monk, but also a scientist. His observations provided the foundation for our understanding of genetics

James Watson & Francis Crick

Awarded the Nobel Prize for their 1953 discovery of DNA's double helix structure.

Rosalind Franklin

Had the same amount of contribution to discovering DNA's structure as Watson and Crick, but died due to radiation before the nobel prize was awarded.

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