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Evolution

These are the key terms for the Evolution Unit

TermDefinition
Theory An idea or explanation that scientists use to understand how something works based on lots of evidence and testing.
Evolution The gradual change in living things over a long time, which can lead to new species forming.
Natural Selection The idea that organisms that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.
Variation Differences among individuals in a population.
Survival of the Fittest The idea that organisms best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on their traits to their offspring.
Species A group of organisms that can reproduce and have fertile offspring.
Fossil The preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms.
Fossil Record The collection of all the fossils scientists have found, which helps us understand the history of life on Earth.
Radioactive Dating A method scientists use to determine the age of rocks or fossils by measuring the amount of certain radioactive elements they contain.
Sediment Tiny pieces of rock, soil, and other materials that settle at the bottom of bodies of water.
Sedimentary Rock Rock formed from layers of sediment pressed together over time.
Extinct When a species no longer exists.
Index Fossil A fossil used to determine the age of rock layers because it's known to have existed during a specific time period.
Body Fossil The preserved remains of an organism's body.
Trace Fossil Evidence of an organism's activity, such as footprints or burrows, rather than its actual remains.
Mutation A change in an organism's DNA.
Adaptation A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.
Vestigial Structures Body parts that no longer have a function but may have been useful in an organism's ancestors.
Homologous Structures Similar body parts in different organisms that suggest a common ancestor.
Common Ancestors An organism from which two or more different species are believed to have evolved.
Relative Dating Determining the age of rock layers or fossils by comparing their positions in a sequence.
Absolute Dating Determining the exact age of rock layers or fossils using techniques like radioactive dating.
Speciation The formation of new species from existing ones.
Genetic Variation Differences in the genetic makeup of individuals within a population.
Precambrian Time The earliest part of Earth's history, before complex life forms appeared.
Paleozoic Era The era of Earth's history when complex life forms first appeared, including the first fish, amphibians, reptiles, and insects.
Mesozoic Era The era of Earth's history known as the "Age of Dinosaurs."
Cenozoic Era The era of Earth's history that includes the time since the extinction of the dinosaurs, known as the "Age of Mammals."
Generation Time The average time it takes for a species to reproduce.
Selective Breeding The process of breeding plants and animals for specific traits.
Law of Superposition The idea that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest rocks are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top.
Geologic Time Scale A timeline that divides Earth's history into units based on major geological and biological events.
Plate Tectonics The theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that move and interact with each other over time, causing geological changes.
Spontaneous Generation The idea that living organisms can spontaneously (suddenly) by born from non-living material, also known as abiogenesis.
Biogenesis The scientific principle that states living organisms only come from other living organisms.
Fitness (biological definition) How well an organism can survive and reproduce in its environment.
Overproduction When organisms produce more offspring than can survive, leading to competition for resources.
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