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Evolution chapter 7
Question | Answer |
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Adaptation | a characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment |
Species | a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring |
Evolution | the process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations such that new species sometimes arise |
Fossil | the remains or physical evidence of an organism preserved by geological processes |
Fossil record | a historic sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of the Earth’s crust |
Trait | a genetically determined characteristic |
Selective breeding | the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have desired characteristics |
Natural selection | the process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanics of evolution |
Generation time | the period of time between the birth of one generation and the birth of the next generation |
Speciation | the formation of new species as a result of evolution |
Homologous structures | anatomical features that have similar evolutionary origins and exhibit similar anatomical patterns |