Site MapHelpFeedbackKey Terms
Key Terms


allopatric speciation  mode of speciation that involves a separation and isolation of population of the parent species
assortative mating  mate selection based on similarity (positive assortative) or differences (negative assortative) in traits
biological species  population of individuals that interbreed
bottleneck  dramatic reduction in the size of a population such that the genetic diversity in the population is substantially curtailed
convergent evolution  type of evolutionary process whereby species come to share phenotypi characteristics due to similar environmental pressures
exaptation  trait that is currently serving a function other than that for which it originally arose
founder effect  evolutionary process in which a small group of individuals account for all of the genetic variation in a large population
gene flow  movement of alleles within and between populations
genetic drift  random changes in allele frequencies across generations
inbreeding  mating among close genetic relatives
migration  movement of alleles in and out of populations
mutation  changes to the nucleotide sequence in the DNA
nonrandom mating  pattern of mating in which individuals mate preferentially with certain others
paleospecies  species defined on the basis of fossil evidence
parallel evolution  type of evolutionary process whereby species come to share phenotypic characteristics due to recent common ancestry
phyletic gradualism  slow accumulation of small changes in populations such that over time enough change has occurred to result in a speciation event
population  cluster of individuals of the same species who share a common geographical area and find their mates more often in their own cluster than in others
punctuated equilibrium  rapid biological changes in organisms followed by long, relatively static periods during which little biological change occurs
speciation  the process by which new species arise







Biological AnthropologyOnline Learning Center

Home > Chapter 4 > Key Terms