Glossary
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Glossary Terms for letter: D
data Evidence gathered to help answer questions, solve problems, and fill gaps in scientific knowledge.
deciduous dentition Also known as baby teeth or milk teeth, this is the first set of teeth, which form in utero and erupt shortly after birth.
deme A local population of organisms that have similar genes, interbreed, and produce offspring.
demic diffusion A population's movement into an area previously uninhabited by that group.
demography The study of a population's features and vital statistics, including birth rate, death rate, population size, and population density.
dendrochronology A chronometric dating method that uses a tree-ring count to determine numerical age.
dental caries A disease process that creates demineralized areas in dental tissues, leading to cavities; demineralization is caused by acids produced by bacteria that metabolize carbohydrates in dental plaque.
dental formula The numerical description of a species' teeth, listing the number, in one quadrant of the jaws, of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars.
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) A double-stranded molecule that provides the genetic code for an organism, consisting of phosphate, deoxyribose sugar, and four types of nitrogen bases.
diaphyses The main midsection, or shaft, portions of long bones; each contains a medullary cavity.
diastema A space between two teeth.
dietary plasticity A diet's flexibility in adapting to a given environment.
diploid A cell that has a full complement of paired chromosomes.
directional selection Selection for one allele over the other alleles, causing the allele frequencies to shift in one direction.
disruptive selection Selection for both extremes of the phenotypic distribution; may eventually lead to a speciation event.
diurnal Refers to those organisms that normally are awake and active during daylight hours.
domestication The process of converting wild animals or wild plants into forms that humans can care for and cultivate.
dominant Refers to an allele that is expressed in an organism's phenotype and that simultaneously masks the effects of another allele, if another one is present.
dryopithecids Early Miocene apes found in various locations in Europe.
Dryopithecus A genus of dryopithecid apes found in southern France.
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