Download Name: Class: Date: The Evolution of Populations Vocabulary

Name: _____________________________ Class: __________________ Date: __________________
The Evolution of Populations
Vocabulary Practice
gene pool
reproductive isolation
coevolution
allele frequency
speciation
extinction
normal distribution
behavioral isolation
punctuated equilibrium
microevolution
geographic isolation
adaptive radiation
directional selection
temporal isolation
stabilizing selection
convergent evolution
disruptive selection
divergent evolution
A. Who Am I? Choose among these terms to answer the riddles below:
behavioral isolation
geographic isolation
temporal isolation
normal distribution
punctuated equilibrium
1. I separate populations with factors of
time, such as when one population
reproduces in the spring and another
reproduces in the summer.
2. I look like a bell-shaped curve, having
the highest frequency in the middle.
3. I separate populations with physical
barriers so that members of each
population no longer have contact with
each other.
5. I am a pattern of evolution that is seen
in the fossil record; I consist of short
periods with lots of evolutionary
activity, followed by long periods with
much less evolutionary activity
6.I separate populations with different
courtship or mating rituals
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Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company.
Biology
1
The Evolution of Populations
Name: _____________________________ Class: __________________ Date: __________________
Vocabulary Practice continued
B. Word Origins Circle the Greek and Latin word parts in each vocabulary term.
Then use the Greek and Latin meanings to construct a very basic definition of the
vocabulary word.
co-
=
together
converge
=
to come together from different directions
diverge
=
to go in different directions from a common point
micro-
=
small
WORD
DEFINITION
1. coevolution
2. convergent evolution
3. divergent evolution
4. microevolution
C. Choose the Correct Word In each set of questions, choose the word from the
word box that best fits each statement.
normal distribution
directional selection
stabilizing selection
disruptive selection
1. Occurs when natural selection
selects for individuals with the
intermediate phenotype
2. Occurs when natural selection is
not acting on a population for a
certain trait
3. Occurs when natural selection
selects for individuals with one
extreme phenotype
4. Occurs when natural selection
selects for individuals with both
extreme phenotypes
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Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company.
Biology
2
The Evolution of Populations
Name: _____________________________ Class: __________________ Date: __________________
Vocabulary Practice continued
reproductive isolation
behavioral isolation
geographic isolation
temporal isolation
5. Species from two populations are
separated by physical barriers
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6. Species from two populations
can no longer mate successfully,
for any reason
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7. Species from two populations are
separated due to differences in
courtship or mating rituals
8. Species from two populations are
separated due to differences in the
timing of their reproduction
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microevolution
convergent evolution
coevolution
divergent evolution
9. Process in which two species
evolve in response to changes in
each other, over many generations
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10. Process in which unrelated species
evolve similar traits while adapting
to similar environments.
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11. Process in which closely related
species become more and more
different as they adapt to different
environments
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12. Process which can occur over a
few generations, in which a
population’s allele frequencies
change in any way
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Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company.
Biology
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The Evolution of Populations
Name: _____________________________ Class: __________________ Date: __________________
Vocabulary Practice continued
D. Do-It Yourself Matching In a random order, write short definitions for each term
on the blank lines to the right. Then give your paper to a classmate who should
write the number of the term next to the correct definition.
1. adaptive radiation
_____ _____________________________________
2. gene pool
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3. directional selection
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4. stabilizing selection
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5. disruptive selection
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6. speciation
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E. Analogies Read each analogy. Decide which term is most like it.
allele frequency
extinction
gene pool
normal distribution
geographic isolation
1. Long, flat surfaces interrupted by
short, steep steps
2. Medium clothing sizes being
the most common in a
department store
3. A radio station that goes off the air
4. How often a certain letter-number
combination is called during bingo
5. A phone book that contains all
of the phone numbers of everyone
in a city
6. Sound-proof glass that prevents
people from hearing each other
punctuated equilibrium
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Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company.
Biology
4
The Evolution of Populations