Flashcards in Chapter 5 Vocabulary Deck (20):
1
Species
A group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce fertile offsprong
2
Fossil
The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past
3
Adaptation
A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce
4
Evolution
The gradual change in a species over time
5
Scientific Theory
A well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations
6
Natural Selection
The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species
7
Variation
Any difference between individuals of the same species
8
Homologous Structures
Body parts that are structurally similar in related species provide evidence that the structures were inherited from a common ansector
9
Branching Tree
A diagram that shows how scientists think different groups of organisms are related
10
Petrified Fossil
A fossil formed when minerals replace all or part of an organism
11
Mold
A type of fossil formed when a shell or other hard part of an organism dissolves, leaving an empty space in the shape of the part
12
Cast
A type of fossil that forms when a mold becomes filled in with minerals that then harden
13
Relative Dating
A technique used to determine which of two fossils is older
14
Radioactive Dating
A technique used to determine the actual age of a fossil on the basis of the amount of a radioactive element it contains
15
Radioactive Element
An unstable element that breaks down into a different element
16
Half-Life
The time it takes for half of the atoms in a radioactive element to break down
17
Fossil Record
The millions of fossils that scientists have collected
18
Extinct
Term used to indicate a species that does not have any living members
19
Gradualism
The theory that evolution occurs slowly but steadily
20