| A | B |
|---|
| Homologous | Describes a character that is shared by a group of species because it is inherited from a common ancestor |
| Speciation | The formation of new species as a result of evolution |
| Microevolution | Refers to evolution as a change in the genes of populations. |
| Macroevolution | Refers to the appearance of new species over time. |
| Theory | A broad explanation that has been scientifically tested and supported. |
| Naturalist | A person who is expert or interested in botany or zoology, esp in the field |
| Descent with Modification | The descendant finches were modified over time as different groups survived by eating different types of food. |
| Lamarckian Inheritance | Jean Baptiste de Lamarck was the first person to clearly state the theory that types of organisms change over time and that new types of organisms are modified descendants of older types. |
| Linearly | In, of, describing, described by, or related to a straight line. |
| Exponentially | Something is said to increase or decrease exponentially if its rate of change must be expressed using exponents. A graph of such a rate would appear not as a straight line, but as a curve that continually becomes steeper or shallower. |
| Population | All of the individuals of the same species that live in a specific place. |
| Geology | The scientific study of rocks, landforms, as well as the origin, history, structure, and composition of the earth |
| Overproduction | Every population is capable of producing more offspring than can possibly survive. |
| Variation | A modification in structure, form or function in an organism, deviating from other organisms of the same species or group. Variation exists within every population. Much of this variation is in the form of inherited traits. |
| Divergent Evolution | The process by which two or more related but reproductively isolated populations become more and more dissimilar. |
| Biogeography | Study of the locations of organisms around the world. |
| Embryology | The study of the embryo and its development from a single-celled zygote (fertilized ovum) to the establishment of form and shape (at which point, if it is an animal, it becomes a fetus). The study of embryos and related factors. |
| Vertebrates | An animal that has a backbone; includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. |
| Anatomy | The science concerned with the shape, structure and the relationship of parts of organisms. |
| Fossil | The trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock |
| Biochemistry | The scientific study of the chemistry of living cells, tissues, organs and organisms. |
| Species | A group of organisms that are closely related and that can mate to produce fertile offspring. |
| Migration | The movement of individuals into, out of, or between populations. |
| Mutation | A change in the nucleotide-base sequence of a gene or DNA molecule. |
| Genetic Drift | The process of change in the genetic composition of a population due to chance or random events rather than by natural selection, resulting in changes in allele frequencies over time. |
| Convergent Evolution | The process by which unrelated species become more similar as they adapt to the same kind of environment. |
| Coevolution | The evolution of two or more species that is due to mutual influence, often in a way that makes the relationship more mutually beneficial. |
| Adaptive Radiation | An evolutionary pattern in which many species evolve from a single ancestral species. |
| Extinct | Describes a species that has died out completely |
| Extinction | The death of every member of a species |
| Gradualism | A model of evolution in which gradual change over a long period of time leads to biological diversity |
| Punctuated Equilibrium | A model of evolution in which short periods of drastic change in species, including mass extinctions and rapid speciation, are separated by long periods of little or no change |
| Natural Selection | The process by 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 |
| Adaptation | The process of becoming adapted to an environment; an anatomical, physiological, or behavioral change that improves a population's ability to survive |
| Evolution | Generally, in biology, the process of change by which new species develop from preexisting species over time; at the genetic level. |
| Artificial Selection | The human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired traits |
