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Bio Chapter 10 Vocab
Bio Chapter 10 Voca
Term | Definition |
---|---|
10.1 Vocab | 10.1 Vocab |
Evolution | Change in a species over time; process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors |
Species | Group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring |
Fossil | Trace of an organism from the past |
Catastrophism | Theory that states that natural disasters such as floods and volcanic eruptions shaped Earth’s landforms and caused extinction of some species |
Gradualism | Principle that states that the changes in landforms result from slow changes over a long period of time |
Uniformitarianism | Theory that states that the geologic processes that shape Earth are uniform through time. |
10.2 Vocab | 10.2 Vocab |
Variation | Differences in physical traits of an individual from the group to which it belongs. |
Adaptation | Inherited trait that is selected for over time because it allows organisms to better survive in their environment |
10.3 Vocab | 10.3 Vocab |
Artificial Selection | Process by which humans modify a species by breeding it for certain traits |
Heritability | Ability of a trait to be passed from one generation to the next |
Natural Selection | Mechanism by which individuals that have inherited beneficial adaptations produce more offspring on average than do other individuals |
Population | All of the individuals of a species that live in the same area. |
Fitness | Measure of an organism’s ability to survive and produce offspring relative to other members of a population. |
10.4 Vocab | 10.4 Vocab |
Biogeography | study of the distribution of organisms around the world |
Homologous Structure | Body part that is similar in structure on different organisms but performs different functions |
Analogous Structure | Body part that is similar in function as a body part of another organism but is structurally different |
Vestigial Structure | Remnants of an organ or structure that functioned in an earlier ancestor |
10.5 Vocab | 10.5 Vocab |
Paleontology | Study of fossils or extinct organisms |