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James' Stack
Chapter 6 Changes Over TIme
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Natural Selection | The process by which individuals are better adpated to their environment and are more likely to survive and reproduce. |
Variations | Any differebce between individuals of the same species. |
Half Life | The time it takes for half of the atoms in a sample to decay. |
Scientific Theory | A well tested concept that explains a wide range of observations. |
Punctuated Equilibrium Theory | The theory that species evolve quickly during short burts of time. |
Fossil Record | Documentation of the millions of fossils scientists have collected over time. |
Radio-Active Element | Unstable elements that decay or break down into different elements. |
Homologous Structures | Similar structures that related species have inherited from common ancestors. |
Mold | A hollow space left where the fossil has decayed of dissolved. |
Relative Dating | A process comparing the age of two fossils by their placement in the layers of sedimentary rock. |
Pretrified Fossils | Fossils that are buried in sediments and actually changed to rock. |
Adaptation | A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce. |
Gradualism Theory | The theory that evolution occurs slowly but steadily. |
Branching Tree | A diagram that shows whow scientists think different groups of organisms are related. |
Radioactive Dating/Absolute Dating | A process that tests the radioactive materials within a fossil to tell its actual age. |
Fossil | Preserved remains of an organism that lived in the past. |
Extinction | When no member of the species is still alive. |
Cast | A copy of the shape of the organism that made. |
Competition | This is a factor in Natural Selection as organisms attempt to survive using the same limited resources. |
Homologous Structures | Evidence that related species had a common ancestor because of the way their bodies anatomically constructed in similar ways. |
Over Production | This factor in Natural Selection happens when there are move offspri g than can possibly survive on the given resources. |
Species | A group of organisms that can mate together and produce fertile offspring. |