Biology Chapter 14

Terms in this set (14)

Adaptation
Any characteristic that makes an organism more suited to its environment. It takes many generations for an adaption to develop
Analogous structure
Structure that has similar function in separate lineages but differs in anatomy and ancestry
Artificial selection
When humans breed selected animals with particular traits to reproduce
Biogeography
The study of the distribution of life-forms on earth
Evolution
Change in a line of descent over time
Fitness
The reproductive success of an individual relative to other members of the population
Fossil record
Fossils trapped in rock strata that tell a history of life
Fossils
Remains of once-living species found in strata
Homologous structure
A structure that similar in different types of organisms because these organisms are derived from a common ancestor
Natural selection
A process that results in the evolution or organisms well adapted to their environment
Speciation
Formation of a new species
Strata
Layers of rock formed from sedimentary material
Uniformitarianism
Belief that geological forces act a continuous, uniform rate
Vestigial structure
Anatomical features that are fully developed in one group of organisms but reduced and nonfunctional in other, similar groups
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