Download Evolution Vocab

Evolution
Evolution: a change with in a population
of a species over time.
Biological evolution: the change over
time of living organisms.
Charles Darwin: was a naturalist who
proposed and provided scientific evidence
that all species of life have evolved over
time from common ancestors through the
process he called natural selection.
Selection
Artificial selection: the breeding of
plants and animals with desired traits to
attempt to produce off spring with these
same traits.
Natural selection: survival of the fittest
organisms that are the best adapted to
their environment and the ones that will
live long enough to reproduce and pass on
their favorable adaptations.
Selection Cont…
Adaptation: a trait that increases the
chances that an organism will survive and
reproduce.
Mutation: a random change to a gene
that results in a new trait.
Fossils
 Fossil: evidence of past life preserved in rock.
 Fossil record: the complete body of fossils that
shows how species and ecosystems change
over time.
 Extinction: The evolutionary termination of a
species caused by the failure to reproduce and
the death of all remaining members of the
species; the natural failure to adapt to
environmental change.
Types of Fossils
 Trace fossil: a type of fossil that provides
evidence of the activities of an organisms but not
actual remains.
 Cast: a fossil that is a copy of an organisms
shape, formed when minerals seep into a mold.
 Carbon Film: a type of fossil consisting of an
extremely thin coating of carbon on a rock.
 Mold: a fossil formed when an organism buried
in sediment dissolves leaving a hollow area.
Index Fossils
Index fossil: a fossil found in a narrow
time range but widely distributed around
the earth; used to date rock layers.
Trilobite: a marine organism that is an
example of an index fossil.