Evolution Vocab

Question 1

Charel Darwin

Answer 1

Preposed theory in 1800 that evolution was caused by natural selection

Question 2

Evolution

Answer 2

Change in a species over time; process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors

Question 3

Species

Answer 3

Group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring

Question 4

Fossil

Answer 4

Trace of an organism from the past

Question 5

Variation

Answer 5

Differences in physical traits of an individual from the group to which it belongs

Question 6

Adaptation

Answer 6

Inherited trait that is selected for over time because it allows organisms to better survive in their environment

Question 7

Artificial Selection

Answer 7

Process by which humans modify species by breeding it for a certain trait

Question 8

Heritability

Answer 8

Ability of a trait to be passed from one generation to the next

Question 9

Natural Selection

Answer 9

Mechanism by which individuals that have inherited beneficial adaptations produced more offspring on average than do other individuals

Question 10

Population

Answer 10

All of the individuals of a species that live in the same area

Question 11

Fitness

Answer 11

Measure of an organism’s ability to survive and produce offspring relative to other members of a population

Question 12

Biogeography

Answer 12

Study of the distribution of organisms around the world

Question 13

Homologous Structure

Answer 13

Body part that is similar in structure on different organisms but performs different functions

Question 14

Analogous Structure

Answer 14

Body part that is similar in functions as a body part of another organism but is structurally different

Question 15

Vestigial Structure

Answer 15

Remnants of an organ or structure that functions in an earlier ancestor

Question 16

Embryo

Answer 16

Stage of development after the fertilized cell implants into the uterus but before the cells take on a recognizable shape