natural selection Flashcards
adaption
a characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment
species
a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to reproduce fertile offspring
evolution
the process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations such as new species sometimes arise
fossil
the remains or physical evidence of an organism preserved by geological processes
fossil record
a historical sequence of life indicated by fossils in layers of the earth’s crust
trait
a genetically determined characteristic
selective breeding
the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired characteristics
natural selection
the process in which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanism of evolution
generation time
the period between the birth of one generation and the birth of the next generation
speciation
the formation of new species as a result of evolution
relative dating
any method of determining whether an event or objects is older or younger than other events or objects
absolute dating
any method of measuring the age of an object or event in years
geologic time scale
the standard method used to divide the earth’s long natural history into manageable parts
extinct
describes a species that has died out completely
plate tectonics
the theory that explains how large pieces of the earth’s outermost layer, called tectonic plates, move and change shape
