| Question |
Answer |
Example |
| Darwin |
naturalist who observed plants and animals and recorded the differences leading to Theory of Evolution |
Sailed on the HMS Beagle |
| evolution |
a species will gradually change over many generations and become better adapted to the new conditions |
|
| adaptation |
a trait that helps an organism to survive and reproduce |
Different bird beaks |
| Natural Selection |
individuals who are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce then the other members of the same species; over time, helpful variations gradually accumulate in a species, unfavorable variations disappear |
long necks on giraffes |
| overproduction |
most species produce far more offspring than can possibly survive` |
fish lay millions of eggs; not all survive |
| competition |
since food and resources are limited, offspring must compete to survive |
|
| Survival of the Fittest |
Those organisms best adapted to the environment will survive and reproduce; the "strongest" survive |
|
| variation |
a difference between individuals of the same species |
white and brown fur in rabbits |
| fossil |
the preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past |
|
| homologous structure |
similar structures that related species inherited from a common ancestor |
whales, birds, and dogs have common bone structures |
| branching tree |
a diagram that shows how scientists think different groups of organisms are related |
|
| species |
a group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring |
dog, cat, human |
500 Words
