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Evolution of Living
Things
A characteristic that
improves an
individual’s ability to
survive and reproduce
in a particular
environment
Adaptation
A group of organisms
that are closely
related and can mate
to produce fertile
offspring
Species
The process in which
inherited characteristics
within a population change
over generations such that
new species sometimes
arise
Evolution
The remains or
physical evidence of
an organism preserved
by geological
processes
Fossil
A historical sequence
of life indicated by
fossils found in layers
of the Earth’s crust
Fossil Record
A genetically
determined
characteristic
Trait
The human practice of
breeding animals or
plants that have certain
desired characteristics
Selective
Breeding
The process by which
individuals that are better
adapted to their environment
survive and reproduce more
successfully than less well
adapted individuals
Natural Selection
The period between
the birth of one
generation and the
birth of the next
generation
Generation Time
The formation of new
species as a result of
evolution
Speciation
The process in which
2 or more species
evolve in response to
changes in each other
Coevolution
The process by which
humans breed
organisms for specific
traits
Artificial
Selection
Structures that
perform a similar
function but are not
similar in origin
Analogous
Structure
The remnant of an
organ that had a
function in an earlier
ancestor
Vestigial
structure
The type of selection that
occurs when individuals in
a population with the
intermediate phenotype is
selected for?
Stabilizing
selection
2 species that are
closely related
become increasing
different through
what process?
Divergent
evolution
The movement of
alleles from one
population to another
Gene flow
Features that are
similar in structure but
appear in different
organisms and have
different functions
Homologous
Structure
Genetic drift that
occurs after a small
number of individuals
colonize a new area
Founder Effect
Isolation that occurs
due to physical
barriers that divide a
population into 2 or
more groups
Geographic
Book published by Charles
Darwin in which he proposed a
mechanism and provided
evidence for his Theory of
Evolution
“Origin of Species”
Islands that Darwin visited on
his voyage on the Beagle that
started him thinking about
how organisms change over
time
Galapagos
Concept that each
living species has
descended with
changes from other
species over time
Descent with Modification
Idea that organisms
best suited to their
environment will
survive and reproduce
Survival of the Fittest
Ability of an organism
to survive and
reproduce in a specific
environment
fitness
Unrelated organisms
evolved to have similar
body shapes and fins
because they live in
similar environments
Convergent Evolution
The end of a species
Extinction
The change in the
frequency of genes
Genetic Drift
A group organisms
that can reproduce
and produce fertile
offspring
Species