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Evolution
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Natural Selection | organisms with beneficial traits survive and reproduce to pass on the beneficial trait to future offspring |
| Charles Darwin | a naturalist who traveled to the Galapagos Islands and begin the theory of Evolution |
| Peppered Moths of Manchester | moths whose population color changed over time due to pollution |
| Fossils | remains of previously living organisms that provide scientists with evidence of how organisms have changed over time |
| Sedimentary Rock | rock made of multiple layers of sediment in which fossils may be found |
| Embryology | the idea that organisms have evolved from a common ancestor because embryos of differing organisms appear similar |
| Homologous Structures | the idea that organisms have evolved from a common ancestor because some structures of differing organisms appear similar |
| Vestigial Structures | the idea that organisms have evolved over time because there are remaining structures in some organisms that are no longer being used today |
| Fossil Record | shows the change or evolution that some organisms have undergone throughout history |
| Adaptation | a change in a species that has occurred over time so that the organism is better suited to its environment |
| Mimicry | a harmless organism's appearance looking similar to a harmful organism |
| Camouflage | an organism blending into its surroundings |
| Competition | organisms competing for limited resources, such as food, water, space, and mates |
| Evolution | change in species over time |
| Extinct | when all organisms in a species are no longer living |
| variation | naturally occurring differences in the species ca be beneficial leading to eventual adaptations |
| overproduction | producing more offspring than necessary to ensure the survival of the genes |
| Darwin's finches | birds that Charles Darwin found on the Galapagos Islands that demonstrate change in a species over time due to limited food resources |
| Theory | a scientific idea that has been researched and has evidence to support it, but has not yet been confirmed as a scientific law because it cannot be totally proven |
| Law | a scientific idea that has been researched and tested, with undisputed proof that it is based in facts |
| Population | a group of organisms of the same species |
| Comparative Morphology | the scientific study of structures of organisms |
| Analogous structures | structures in genetically different organisms that have the same function due to environmental requirements, like fins of a fish and flippers on a penguin |
| Gradualism | the idea that evolution occurred gradually, over a long period of time |
| Punctuated Equilibrium | the idea that evolution occurred in short bursts over a period of time |
| Directional evolution | the evolution of a species in which one variation of a trait is favored over all others |
| Stabilizing evolution | the evolution of a species in which the average or median variation of traits is favored over both extremes |
| Disruptive evolution | the evolution of a species in which both extreme variations of traits are favored over the average or median trait |
| Geographic Isolation | the isolation of a population of a species due to geographic features like mountains, lakes, streams, etc., resulting in two species to be developed over time. |
| Allelic frequency | the percentage of a specific allele appearing in a population. Calculated by taking the total number of alleles available in the population and dividing it by the number of the specific allele you're looking for. |
| Adaptive radiation | the creation of a variety of new species evolving from a common ancestor, such as Darwin's Finches |
| Behavioral adaptions | adaptations in an organism that are behaviors, such as mating dances, mating calls, migration, hibernation |
| Structural adaptations | adaptations in an organism that are a part of its structure, or how its built, such as hollow bones in birds, gills for fish, wings for insects that fly |
| Physiological adaptations | adaptations in an organism that its body naturally makes, such as venom, poison, ink, etc. |
| Convergent evolution | organisms that do have a common ancestor, but develop common characteristics due to their environment. Ex: dolphins and fish and penguins |
| Divergent evolution | organisms that DO have a common ancestor but have become more and more different over time. Ex: wolves and dogs |