Download Natural Selection and Adaptations Vocabulary

The following document is a running list of vocabulary terms for the
Carbohydrate, Lipid and Protein unit for Biology. The unit is one of the larger
units and contains a lot of vocabulary to keep straight. In order the help the
students I have created this study option for home.
Key terms will be added as we introduce them in class- I will put the new
terms in a new chart to cut down on printing waste, but the same document
will be sent home each time.
A copy of this document will also be posted on my teacher website located
at: http://www.greenwoodsd.org/Page/1009
To use as Flash Cards:
1. Cut only on solid lines.
2. Fold the card on the dotted line and put a small piece of tape on
the open end to secure and make the flash card that should show
the definition on one side and the vocabulary word on the other.
To Use a Matching Activity:
1. Cut the chart apart completely by cutting on all lines.
2. Have your child mix up the cards and try to match the correct
definition with the correct vocabulary term.
(A second chart can be printed to act as a key)
Gene Pool
All the genes in a populations
Allele Frequency
How often a certain allele is present in a
population
Natural Selection
Process where organisms with “favorable traits” or
adaptations are selected to survive specific
environmental conditions
Adaptations
Inherited traits that improve an organism’s ability
to both survive and reproduce
Limiting Factors
Restrain the growth of populations
“Survival of the fitteSt”
Those with traits that enhance survival for a
specific environment are considered fit and more
likely to survive than those without the desired
trait
Fitness
A measure of an organism’s ability to survive and
reproduce
Evolution
A change in living organisms over time, specifically
in the genetic makeup of a subgroup or population
of a species
Overproduction
More offspring can be produced than can survive
to maturity
Genetic variation
Within a population, traits vary (Ex: beak shape,
fur color, jaw size, etc)
Struggle to survive/adaptation
Individuals compete with each other to survive
Differential reproduction
Organisms with the “best” adaptation are most
likely to survive and reproduce
Descent with modification
Populations begin to differ even if they descended
from the same ancestors (finches, peppered
moths)