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Chapter 15
Section 2
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| the trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock | fossil |
| a principle that states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if the layers have not been disturbed | superposition |
| the age of an object in relation to the ages of other objects | relative age |
| the numeric age of an object or event, often stated in years before the present, as established by an absolute-dating process, such as radiometric dating | absolute age |
| the study of the geographical distribution of living organisms and fossils on Earth | biogeography |
| anatomical structures in one species that, compared to other anatomical structures in another species, originated from a single anatomical structure in a common ancestor of the two species | homologous structure |
| an anatomical structure in one species that is similar in function and appearance, but not in evolutionary origin, to another anatomical structure in another species | analogous structure |
| a structure in an organism that is reduced in size and function and that may have been complete and functional in the organism's ancestors | vestigial structure |
| the evolutionary history of a species or taxonomic group; the relationships by ancestry among species or taxonomic groups | phylogeny |