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Stack #84200
Stack #84200 Darwin's Theory of Evolution
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Evolultion | Change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms |
| Theory | Well tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations |
| Fossil | Preserved remains or evidence of an ancient organism |
| Artificial selection | Selection by humans for breeding of useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms |
| Struggle for existence | Competition among members of a species for food, living space, and the other necessities of life |
| Fitness | Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment |
| Adaptation | Inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival |
| Survival of the fittest | Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called natural selection |
| Natural selection | Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest |
| Descent with modification | Principle that each living species has descended, with changes, from other species over time |
| Common descent | Principle that all living things have a common ancestor |
| Homologous structure | Structures that have different mature forms in different organisms but develop from the same embryonic tissues |
| Vestigal organ | Organ that serves no useful function in an organism |