7-Science-Evolution-Final Study Guide-Vocab

Question 1

endangered

Answer 1

in danger of going extinct

Question 2

extinct

Answer 2

no surviving members of the species

Question 3

fossils

Answer 3

remains of organisms preserved in rock

Question 4

trace fossils

Answer 4

show signs of activity

Question 5

observation

Answer 5

a direct description of the evidence (ex- fossil footprint cards- what you actually saw)

Question 6

inference

Answer 6

interpretation or conclusion made from observations (ex- fossil footprint cards- what you thought could have been happening based on observations)

Question 7

index fossils

Answer 7

forms of life which existed during limited period of geologic time

Question 8

law of superposition

Answer 8

fossils found in the top rock layers are younger than fossils found in any rock layer below them

Question 9

evolution

Answer 9

changes through time

Question 10

variation

Answer 10

differences in organisms of the same species

Question 11

adaptation

Answer 11

a trait that helps an organism survives in its environment

Question 12

Natural selection

Answer 12

process in which organisms that are better adapted to their envionment are more likely to survive/reproduce

Question 13

mutation

Answer 13

an error made when DNA is copied (creates variation)

Question 14

speciation

Answer 14

when one species becomes two or more different species (ex- Darwin’s finches or cichlids in Lake Victoria)