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Vocabulary Review
Ch 15 – Theory of
Evolution
A heritable change in the
characteristics within a
population from one
generation to the next;
the development of new
types of organisms from
preexisting types of
organisms over time
Evolution
Layers of rock
Strata
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
The process of becoming
adapted to an
environment; an
anatomical, physiological,
or behavioral trait that
improves an organism’s
ability to survive and
reproduce
Adaptation
In evolutionary
theory, a measure of
an individual’s
hereditary
contribution to the
next generation
Fitness
The trace or remains
of an organism that
lived long ago, most
commonly preserved
in sedimentary rock
Fossil
A principle that
states that younger
rocks lie above older
rocks if the layers
have not been
disturbed
Superposition
The age of an object
in relation to the
ages of other objects
Relative age
The numeric age of an
object or event, often
stated in years before the
present, as established by
an absolute-dating
process, such as
radiometric dating
Absolute age
The study of the
geographical
distribution of living
organisms and fossils
on Earth
Biogeography
Anatomical structures in one
species that, compared to
other anatomical structures in
another species, originated
from a single anatomical
structure in a common
ancestor of the two species
Homologous
structure
An anatomical structure in
one species that is similar
in function and appearance,
but not in evolutionary
origin, to another
anatomical structure in
another species
Analogous
structure
A structure in an organism
that is reduced in size and
function and that may
have been complete and
functional in the
organism’s ancestors
Vestigial
structure
The evolutionary history
of a species or
taxonomic group; the
relationships by
ancestry among species
or taxonomic groups
Phylogeny
The process by which
unrelated species
become more similar
as they adapt to the
same kind of
environment
Convergent
evolution
The process by which
two or more related
but reproductively
isolated populations
become more and
more dissimilar
Divergent
evolution
An evolutionary
pattern in which many
species evolve from a
single ancestral
species
Adaptive
radiation
The selective
breeding of organisms
(by humans) for
specific desirable
characteristics
Artificial
selection
The evolution of two or
more species that is
due to mutual influence,
often in a way that
makes the relationship
more mutually beneficial
Coevolution