Ch. 16 Darwin's Theory of Evolution Ch. 17 Evolution of Populations
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23 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Adaptation | inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival |
| Analogous structures | structures found in different types of organisms that are similar in function or outward appearance but dissimilar in basic structure or embryological development |
| Artificial selection | selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with desired genetic traits |
| Competition | the act of competing as for profit or a prize |
| Descent with Modification | principle that each living species has descended, with changes, from other species over time |
| Endosymbiosis | Process through which early prokaryotic cells are thought to have engulfed other, smaller cells and eventually incorporated them as organelles; these cells evolved into modern-day eukaryotes |
| Extinct | no longer in existence |
| Evolution | change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms |
| Fitness | ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment |
| Fossil | the remains (or an impression) of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age and that has been excavated from the soil |
| Gene Pool | consists of all genes, including all the different alleles, that are present in a population |
| Genetic drift | change in the gene pool of a population due to chance |
| Geographic isolation | separation of populations as a result of geographic change or migration to geographically isolated places |
| Homologous structures | similar structures that related species have inherited from a common ancestor |
| Natural Selection | a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment |
| Naturalist | a person who studies living things |
| Polygenic Trait | trait controlled by two or more genes; shows a wide variety of phenotypes |
| Reproductive Isolation | separation of species that prevents them from interbreeding and producing fertile offspring |
| Selective breeding | method of breeding that allows only those individual organisms with desired characteristics to produce the next generation |
| Species | group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| Speciation | the formation of new species as a result of evolution |
| variations | any difference between individuals of the same species |
| vestigial structure | parts of an organism that are no longer functioning and do not affect survival |
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