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Change Over Time
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Evolution | The process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations |
Mutation | An accident that results in a permanent change in the DNA code. |
Adaptations | Structures, functions, or behaviors that improve a species’ ability to survive and reproduce in an environment |
Natural Selection | The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well-adapted individuals do |
Fossil | Trace remains of an organism that lived long ago |
Fossil Record | The timeline of life formed by studying fossils |
Variation | A trait that makes an organism different from other members of the same species |
Extinct / Extinction | No members of a species are alive today. |
Diversity | Differences in the traits or adaptations of the members of a population due to differences in the genetic codes |
Evidence for Evolution | Fossil records, radiometric dating, genetic information, the distribution of organisms around the world, and physical similarities shared by different species |
Species | A group of organisms that are so closely related genetically that they can mate to produce more of the same kind of organism |