Biology Chapter 14

Terms in this set (14)

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

The study of the distribution of life-forms on earth

Change in a line of descent over time

The reproductive success of an individual relative to other members of the population

Fossils trapped in rock strata that tell a history of life

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

Formation of a new species

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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