Evolution terms

Question 1

analogous structures

Answer 1

similar in function but not in structure or evolutionary origin

Question 2

anthropology

Answer 2

the study of human cultures and societies and their development

Question 3

archaeology

Answer 3

the study of history through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artefacts and remains

Question 4

biogeography

Answer 4

the branch of biology that deals with the geographical distribution of plants and animals

Question 5

biological evolution

Answer 5

any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations

Question 6

comparative anatomy

Answer 6

the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species

Question 7

comparative biochemistry

Answer 7

the study of evolutionary relationships between organisms

Question 8

comparative embryology

Answer 8

the branch of embryology that compares and contrasts the embryos of different species

Question 9

continental drift

Answer 9

the gradual movement of the continents across the earth’s surface through geological time

Question 10

evolution

Answer 10

the process by which different kinds of organisms have developed from earlier forms during the history of the earth

Question 11

fossil

Answer 11

the preserved remains or impressions of organisms that lived in the past

Question 12

genetic bottleneck

Answer 12

an event that drastically reduces the size of a population

Question 13

genotype

Answer 13

the genetic makeup of an organism

Question 14

homologous structures

Answer 14

corresponding in structure and evolutionary origin, but not in function

Question 15

inbreeding

Answer 15

the breeding or mating of closely related individuals

Question 16

macro-evolution

Answer 16

major evolutionary change of groups of species over long periods of time

Question 17

mass extinction

Answer 17

the extinction of a large number of species within a relatively short period of time

Question 18

meiosis

Answer 18

the process of cellular division

Question 19

micro-evolution

Answer 19

evolutionary change within a species or small group of organisms over a short period

Question 20

natural selection

Answer 20

the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring

Question 21

outbreeding

Answer 21

the breeding or mating of distantly related or unrelated individuals

Question 22

paleontology

Answer 22

the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants

Question 23

permineralisation

Answer 23

a process of fossilisation in which mineral deposits form internal casts of organisms

Question 24

phenotype

Answer 24

the physical appearance of an organism

Question 25

plate tectonics

Answer 25

large, moving pieces that make up the earth’s outer layer

Question 26

population

Answer 26

the number of organisms of the same species in a geographic area

Question 27

selective breeding

Answer 27

the process by which humans breed other animals and plants for particular traits

Question 28

speciation

Answer 28

the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution

Question 29

species

Answer 29

a group of closely related organisms that are able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring