is a measure of an individual's hereditary contribution to the next generation
fitness
the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanism of evolution
natural selection
is the development of new types of organisms from preexisting types of organisms over time
evolution
is a trait that makes an individual successful in its environment, such as thick fur in cold climates
adaptation
is the remains or traces of an organism that died long ago
fossil
is the study of the locations of organisms around the world
biogeography
is the study of evolution from a gentic point of view
population genetics
all of the genes of the reproductivley active members of a population
gene pool
is equal to the number of individuals with a particular phenotype divided by the total number of individuals in the population
phenotype frequency
is the movement of individuals to a population
immigration
is the movement of individuals out of a population
emigration
is the phenomenon by whcih allele frequencies in a population change as a result of random events, or chance
genetic drift
an evolutionary mechanism by which traits that increase the ability of individuals to attract or aquire males appear with increasing frequency in a population selection in which a mate is chosen the basis of a particular trait or traits
sexual selection
the internal and external structure and appearance of an organism
morphology
is the physical seperation of member of a population
geographical isolation
states that all living things come from other living things
biogenesis
an early and now disproved theory that living organisms come to life spontaneously from nonliving material.
spontaneous generation
on a graph of the frequency of some variable, a curve that first rises and then falls and thus forms a symmetrical bell-shaped curve.