7 and 8 Flashcards
Adaptation
a characteristic that improves an individuals 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 change in the characteristics of a species over several generations
Fossil
the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.
Fossil Record
which states that in undisturbed rock sequences the bottom layers are older than the top layers.
Trait
a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person.
Selective Breeding
the process of modifying the characteristics of living things especially to enhance one or more desirable traits
Natural Selection
the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully.expounded by Charles Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brings about evolution.
Generation time
generation time is the average time between two consecutive generations in the lineages of a population.
Speciation
the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
Relative Dating
the process of determining if one rock or geologic event is older or younger than another
Absolute Dating
the process of determining an age on a specified chronology in archaeology and geology
Geologic Time Scale
is a system of chronological dating that classifies geological strata (stratigraphy) in time.
Extinct
having no living members; no longer in existence.
Plate Tectonics
a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth’s subterranean movements.
