evolution vocab 10.1-10.3, 12.3-12.4

Question 1

the process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors

Answer 1

evolution

Question 2

a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to reproduce fertile offspring

Answer 2

species

Question 3

traces of organisms that existed in the past

Answer 3

fossils

Question 4

natural disasters such as floods and volcanic eruptions have happened often during Earth’s long history

Answer 4

catastrophism

Question 5

changes observed in land forms resulted from slow changes over a long period of time

Answer 5

gradualism

Question 6

the geologic processes that shape Earth are uniform through time

Answer 6

uniformitarianism

Question 7

the difference in the physical traits of an individual from those of other individuals in the group to which it belongs

Answer 7

variation

Question 8

a feature that allows an organism to better survive and reproduce in its environment

Answer 8

adaptation

Question 9

The process by which humans change a species by breeding it for certain traits

Answer 9

artificial selection

Question 10

the ability of a trait to be passed down from one generation to the next

Answer 10

heritability

Question 11

a mechanism by which individuals that have inherited beneficial adaptations show differential reproductive success

Answer 11

natural selection

Question 12

all the individuals of a species that live in an area

Answer 12

population

Question 13

a measure of the ability to survive and produce more offspring relative to other members of the population in a given environment

Answer 13

fitness

Question 14

a cloud of gas and dust in space

Answer 14

nebula

Question 15

RNA molecules that can catalyze specific chemical reactions

Answer 15

ribozymes

Question 16

bacteria that can carry out photosynthesis

Answer 16

cyanobacteria

Question 17

a relationship in which one organism lives within the body of an- other—with both organisms benefiting

Answer 17

endosymbiosis