vocab Flashcards
(18 cards)
adaptation
adaptation refers to the process by which organisms adjust to their environment in order to survive and reproduce.
species
a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
evolution
the process through which species change over time through mechanisms such as natural selection mutation and genetic drift.
fossil
the preserved remains or traces of organisms from the past typically found in the sedimentary rock.
fossil record
the collection of all known fossils and their placement in chronlogical order.
trait
a trait is a characteristic or feature of an organism that can be inherited or acquired.
selective breeding
selective breeding is a process used by humans to breed plants and animals for particular genetic traits.
natural selection
the process b which individuals that are better adapted to their environment.
generation time
the period between the birth of one generation and the next
speciation
the formation of new species as a result of evolution
relative dating
any method of determining whether an event or object is older or younger than other objects or events
absolute dating
any method of measuring the age of an object or events in years
geologic time scale
the standard method used to divide the Earth’s long natural history into manageable parts.
extinct
dicribes a species that has died out completely.
plate tectonics
the theory that explains how large pieces of the earths outermost layer called techtonics plates move and change shape.
primate
a type of mamal characterized by opposable thumbs and binocular.
hominid
a type of primate characterized by bipedalism relatively long lower limbs and lack of a tail.
homo sapiens
