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Earth Science 01
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Species | Group of similar species that can mate with each other and produce fertile offspring |
| Adaptation | A genetic trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce |
| Evolution | Change in a species over time |
| Natural Selection | Process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other less-qualified members of the species |
| Overproduction | Some species may produce too many offspring than the environment can support |
| Variation | Any difference between the individuals of the same species |
| Selection | The variations in which the individuals are better adapted to the environment are more likely to survive and reproduce |
| How a New Species Forms | When a group of individuals remains separated long enough from the rest of it's species so that the accumulate different traits |
| How Fossils Form | Most fossils are formed after the organisms get buried under sediments when they die |
| Petrified Fossils | Sometimes the minerals dissolved in the water replace the remains, changing them into rock |
| Mold | A hollow part in sediment in the shape of an organism |
| Relative Dating | Used to determine which of two fossils is older |
| Absolute Dating | Used to determine the actual age of a fossil |
| Radioactive Elements | Unstable elements that decay, or break down, into different elements |
| Half-Life | Time it takes for half the atoms in a sample radioactive element to decay |
| Fossil Record | The millions of fossils that scientists have collected |
| Extinct | When no members of a species are alive |
| Gradualism | Proposes that evolution occurs slowly but steadily |
| Punctuated Equilibria | Species that change a lot during a short period of time |
| Causes of Extinction | Natural Events and Human Activities |
| Branching Tree | A diagram that shows how scientists think different groups of organisms are related |