| A | B |
|---|
| adaptation | a heredity characteristic that helps an organism survive & reproduce in its environment |
| species | a group of organisms that can mate with another to produce fertile offspring. |
| evolution | the process by which populations accumulate inherited changes. |
| fossil | the solidified remains or imprints of once-living organisms. |
| fossil record | a historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of the Earth's crust. |
| vestigial structure | the remnant of a once-useful anatomical structure. |
| trait | distinguishing qualities that can be passed from one generation to another. |
| selective breeding | breeding of organisms that have a certain desired trait. |
| natural selection | process by which organisms with favorable traits survive and reproduce at a higher rate than organisms without favorable traits. |
| mutation | a change in the DNA causing a change in the physical appearance of an organism. |
| generation time | period between the birth of one generation and the birth of the next generation. |
| speciation | process by which two populations of the same species become so different thatthey can no longer interbreed. |
