ch. 13-2 evidence of evolution

Terms in this set (15)

Evolution
a change in the characteristics of a population from one generation to the next.
Natural Selection
the process by which individuals that have favorable variations and are better adapted to their environment will survive and reproduce more successfully less well adapted indviduals.
Fossil
the trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago (any traces of dead organisms).
Radioactive Dating
technique for measuring the age of an oject by determining the ratio of the concentration of a radioisotope to that of the stable isotope in it.
Half-Life
the time it takes for one half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay.
Paleontologist
scientists who study fossils.
Relative Dating
technique used to determine the age of fossils by comparing them with fossils in different layers of rock and by the position of rock layers.
Index Fossil(s)
fossils that exist in a wide variety of places during a specific time period.
Geologic Time Scale
record of the history of life determined by the position of layers of rock, radioactive dating and the fossil record.
Era
largest interval of time in a geologic time scale.
Homologous Structure(s)
anaromical structures that share a common ancestry; body parts (structures) similar in structure' but same ancestral body parts.
Vestigial Structure
(or ogans) structure that is a remnant of an organism's evolutionary past and has no function.
Embryology
study of embryos.
Embryo
organism at an early stage of development. (many are similar in appearance and follow similar patterns of development).
Phylogenetic (or evolutionary) Tree
diagram that shows evolutionary relationships among different groups of organisms.
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