biology words
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17 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 evolution | all of the changes that have transformed life over an immense time |
| fossile | remains buried by sediments |
| speciation | formation of new species |
| half life | the time required for one half of the atoms of a radioisotope to emit radiation an decay products |
| variation | difference among members of a species |
| gene pool | consists of all the alleles [different forms of genes] in all the individuals of a population |
| species | Distinct form of life |
| natural selection | process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest |
| adaptive radiation | evolution from a common ancestor of many species adapted to diverse environments |
| endosymbiosis | theory where mitochondria and chloroplasts are thought to have evolved from bacteria inside a cell |
| embryology | study of multicellular organisms as they develop from fertilized eggs to fully formed organisms |
| microevolution | evolution on the smallest scale—a generation-to-generation change in the frequencies of alleles within a population |
| geographic isolation | separation of populations as a result of geographic change or migration to geographically isolated places |
| adaptation | the process of developing character traits to fit in to a new enviroment |
| vestigial structures | remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a species' ancestors, but has no clear function in the modern species. |
| extinct | species that no longer exist |
| population | a group of organisms of the same species populating a given area |
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