Terms Flashcards
Adaptation
a characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce
Species
a group of organisms that are closely related
Evolution
the process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations
Fossil
the remains of physical evidence
Fossil Record
the historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of the Earth’s crust
Trait
a genetically determined characteristic
Selective Breeding
the human practice of breeding animals or plants
Natural Selection
the process of which individual’s adapt to their environment
Generation time
the period of time between the birth of one generation and the next
Speciation
the formation of new species as a result of evolution
Relative Dating
determining whether an event is older or younger
Absolute Dating
measuring the age of an object
Geologic Time Scale
method used to divide Earth’s long natural history
. Extinct
a species that has died out completely
Plate Tectonics
explains how large pieces of Earth’s layer change shape
