Download Ch 15 Vocabulary - Plain Local Schools

Ch 15 Vocabulary
Name:____________
1. Biological Species Concept- definition of a species as a population or group of
populations whose members can breed with one another in nature and produce fertile
offspring
2. Macroevolution- major biological changes evident in the fossil record
3. Speciation-formation of new species
4. Reproductive Isolation- condition in which a reproductive barrier keeps two species
from interbreeding
5. Geographic Isolation- separation of populations as a result of geographic change or
migration to geographically isolated places
6. Adaptive Radiation- evolution from a common ancestor of many species adapted to
diverse environments
7. Punctuated Equilibrium- evolutionary model suggesting species often diverge in spurts
of relatively rapid change, followed by long periods of little change
8. Embryology- study of multicellular organisms as they develop from fertilized eggs to
fully formed organisms
9. Geologic Time Scale- Earth's history organized into four eras: Precambrian, Paleozoic,
Mesozoic, and Cenozoic
10. Radiometric Dating- determination of absolute ages of rocks and fossils through
calculations based on a radioactive isotope's fixed rate of decay
11. Half-Life- time it takes for 50 percent of a radioactive isotope sample to decay
12. Continental Drift- motion of continents about Earth's surface on plates of crust floating
on the hot mantle
13. Mass Extinction- episode of great species loss
14. Taxonomy- identification, naming, and classification of species
15. Binomial- two-part Latin name of a species
16. Phylogenetic Tree- branching diagram, suggesting evolutionary relationships, that
classifies species into groups within groups
17. Convergent Evolution- process in which unrelated species from similar environments
have adaptations that seem very similar
18. Analogous Structures- similarities among unrelated species that result from
convergent evolution
19. Cladogram- phylogenetic tree constructed from a series of two-way branch points,
suggesting ancestral relationships among species
20. Derived Character- homologous characteristic that unites organisms as a group