Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Ch 15 Vocab
n/a
19
Biology
10th Grade
12/16/2010

Additional Biology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
evolution 
Definition

a heritable change in the characteristics within a population from one generation to the next; the development of new types of organisms from preexisting types of organisms over time
Term
Strata
Definition

layers of rock (singular, stratum)
Term
natural selection 
Definition

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
Term
adaptation 
Definition

the process of becoming adapted to an environment; an anatomical, physiological, or behavioral change that improves a population's ability to survive
Term
fitness 
Definition

a measurement of the ability of a species to respond to the pressures of natural selection; the ability of individuals to survive to propagate their genes
Term
fossil 
Definition

the trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock
Term
superposition 
Definition

a principle that states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if the layers have not been disturbed
Term
relative age 
Definition

the age of an object in relation to the ages of other objects
Term
absolute age 
Definition

the numeric age of an object or event, often stated in years before the present, as established by an absolute-dating process, such as radiometric dating
Term
biogeography 
Definition

the study of the geographical distribution of living organisms and fossils on Earth
Term
homologous structures 
Definition

anatomical structures that share a common ancestry
Term
analogous structure
Definition

in comparisons of different organisms, describes features that are similar in function and appearance but not in structure or origin
Term
vestigial structure 
Definition

a structure in an organism that is reduced in size and function and that may have been complete and functional in the organism's ancestors
Term
phylogeny 
Definition

the evolutionary history of a species or taxonomic group
Term
convergent evolution 
Definition

the process by which unrelated species become more similar as they adapt to the same kind of environment
Term
divergent evolution
Definition
 
the process by which two or more related but reproductively isolated populations become more and more dissimilar
Term
adaptive radiation 
Definition

an evolutionary pattern in which many species evolve from a single ancestral species
Term
artificial selection 
Definition

the selective breeding of organisms (by humans) for specific desirable characteristics
Term
coevolution 
Definition

the evolution of two or more species that is due to mutual influence, often in a way that makes the relationship more mutually beneficial
Supporting users have an ad free experience!