| A | B |
|---|
| evolution | gradual change over time |
| geologic evolution | continuous change in the earth |
| organic evolution | changes in species since their first appearance on the earth |
| fossil | any trace or remain of an organism that has been preserved by natural processes |
| sedimentary rock | place where most fossils are found |
| fossil record | using fossils to determine the history of life |
| extinction | event occuring when the last individual of a species dies out |
| comparative anatomy | structural similarities and differences that show evolutionary relationships |
| homologous structures | parts of different organisms that have similar structures, but have different forms and functions |
| analogous structures | organisms that have similar external forms but different internal structures |
| vestigial structures | remnants of structures that were found in ancestral organisms but serve little to no use today |
| embryological similarities | similarites during the early stages of development |
| comparative biochemistry | similarities between the amino acid sequence of proteins and the DNA code of organisms |
| Lamarck | one of the first to propose the theory of evolution and said species change because of a need to adapt to changes in the environment |
| law of use and disuse | if a part is not used, it becomes weaker and less developed as opposed to a part that is used |
| theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics | characteristics of an organism developed through use and disuse could be passed on to offspring |
| August Weismann | proved Lamarcks theory wrong by cutting the tails off mice |
| Charles Darwin | improved the theory of evolution and suggested natural selection |
| natural selection | the environmental changes and strength of a species determines how well it will survive life and environmental changes |
| overproduction | species produce more offspring than needed to maintain a population |
| competition | fighting to live and for the necessities of life |
| variation | differences in individuals |
| adaptation | any kind of inherited trait that improves an organism's chances of survival and reproduction in a given environment |
| speciation | the accumulation of changes in a species becomes so great that a new species develop |
| modern theory of evolution | populations evolve rather than individuals within a population |
| population | group of organisms living in the same region and are capable of interbreeding |
| gene pool | total alleles present in a population |
| genetic recombination | formation of a new combination of alleles |
| migration | the moving into or out of a population |
| genetic drift | affects small population; the change of alleles due to chance |
| structural adaptations | adaptations that involve the body of an organism |
| physiological adaptations | adaptations in the metabolism of an organism |
| camoflage | blending into an environment |
| warning coloration | shows a predator of the risks of eating prey |
| mimicry | resembling another species a predator avoids |
| isolation | anything that prevents two groups within a species from interbreeding |
| geographic isolation | natural barrier prevents species from interbreeding |
| reproductive isolation | the loss of ability to interbreed |
