Natural Selection/Evolution Flashcard

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What is Natural Selection?

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Natural selection is the process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

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Define Mimicry in the context of evolution.

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Mimicry is a phenomenon where one species evolves to resemble another species for protection or other advantages.

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What is the difference between Homologous and Analogous structures?

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Homologous structures are similar due to shared ancestry, while analogous structures are similar due to convergent evolution, not shared ancestry.

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What is Artificial Selection?

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Artificial selection is the process by which humans breed plants and animals for specific traits.

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What is Natural Variation?

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Natural variation refers to the differences in traits among individuals in a population that occur naturally.

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What is Directional Selection?

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Directional selection is a type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over the mean or other extreme.

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What is Stabilizing Selection?

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Stabilizing selection is a type of natural selection that favors average phenotypes and reduces variation.

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What is Disruptive Selection?

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Disruptive selection is a type of natural selection that favors extreme phenotypes over average ones.

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What is an example of a Homologous structure?

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The forelimbs of humans, whales, and bats are homologous structures, indicating a common ancestor.

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What is an example of an Analogous structure?

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The wings of butterflies and birds are analogous structures, as they evolved independently for flight.