Download Vocabulary Worksheet

Vocabulary Worksheet
Name:
evolution-_____________________________________________________________
natural selection-________________________________________________________
Charles Darwin-_________________________________________________________
fitness-_______________________________________________________________
variability-_____________________________________________________________
inheritability-____________________________________________________________
artificial selection-_______________________________________________________
adaptation-____________________________________________________________
structural adaptation-_____________________________________________________
mimicry-_______________________________________________________________
camouflage-___________________________________________________________
physiological adaptation-_________________________________________________
fossil record-___________________________________________________________
homologous structures-___________________________________________________
analogous structures-____________________________________________________
vestigial structures-_____________________________________________________
embryology-____________________________________________________________
biochemistry-___________________________________________________________
geneotype-_____________________________________________________________
phenotype-_____________________________________________________________
gene pool-_____________________________________________________________
genetic drift-____________________________________________________________
founder effect-__________________________________________________________
bottleneck effect-_______________________________________________________
allele-________________________________________________________________
allele frequency-_______________________________________________________
stabilizing selection-______________________________________________________
directional selection-____________________________________________________
disruptive selection-_____________________________________________________
Vocabulary Worksheet
Name:
evolution-change in a species over time; process of biological change by which descendents
come to differ from their ancestors.
natural selection-mechanism by which individuals that have inherited beneficial adaptations
produce more offspring on average than do other individuals
Charles Darwin-published On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection
fitness-measure of an organism’s ability to survive and produce offspring relative to other
members of a population
variation-differences in physical traits of an individual from the group to which it belongs.
inheritability-ability of a trait to be passsed from one generation to the next
artificial selection-process by which humans modify a species by breeding it for certain traits
adaptation-inherited trait that is selected for over time because it allows organisms to better
survive in their environment
structural adaptation-an inherited trait pertaining to anatomical or morhphological characters
mimicry- structural adaptation that enables one species to resemble another species
camouflage-structural adaptation that enables species to blend with their surroundings
physiological adaptation-an inherited trait pertaining to processes within an organism
fossil record -. The totality of fossilized artifacts and their placement within the earth's rock
strata. It provides information about the history of life on earth, for instance what the organisms
look like, where and when they live, how they evolved, etc.
homologous structures-body part that is similar in structure on different organisms but
performs different functions
analogous structures-body part that is similar in function as a body part of another organism
but is structurally different
vestigial structures-remnants of an organ or structure that functioned in an earlier ancestor
embryology.- the study of the earliest stages of growth and development of plants and animals
biochemistry-the study of the chemistry of living things
geneotype-collection of all of an organism’s genetic information that codes for traits
phenotype-collection of all of an organism’s physical characteristics.
gene pool-collection of alleles found in all of the individuals of a population
genetic drift-change in allele frequencies due to chance along, occurring most commonly in
small populations
founder effect-genetic drift that occurs after a small number of individuals colonize a new area
bottleneck effect-genetic drift that results from an event that drastically reduces the size of a
population
allele- any of the alternative forms of a gene that occurs at a specific place on a chromosome.
allele frequency-proportion of one allele, compared with all the alleles from that trait, in the
gene pool.
stabilizing selection- type of natural selection that favors the intermediate phenotype, causing
it to become more common in the population
directional selection- type of natural selection that favors an extreme phenotype, causing it to
become more common in the population.
disruptive selection-a type of natural selection that favors both extremes of a phenotype,
causing then to become more common in the population