Glencoe Science Chapter 6
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12 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 species | a group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can reproduce among themselves to produce fertile offspring |
| evolution | change in these inherited characteristics over time |
| natural selection | organisms with traits best suited for their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce |
| varation | an inherited trait that makes an individual different from other members of its species |
| adaptation | any varation that makes an organism better suited to its enviroment |
| gradualism | model describing evolution as a slow process by which one species changes into a new species |
| punctuated equilibrium | model describing the rapid evolution that occurs when mutation of a few genes results in a species in a short period of time |
| sedimentary rock | a type of rock, such as limestone, that is most likely to contain fossils and is formed when layers of sand, silt, clay, or mud are cemented and compacted together or when minerals are deposited from a solution |
| radioactive element | element that gives off a steady amount of radiation as it slowly changes to a nonradioactive element |
| embryology | The study of embryos and their development |
| homologous | body parts that are similar in structure and origin and can be similar in function |
| vestigial structure | the bodies of some organisms structures that don't seem to have function |
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