Adaptations over Time

Question 1

adaptation

Answer 1

any variation that makes an organism better suited to its environment

Question 2

evolution

Answer 2

change in inherited characteristics over time

Question 3

gradualism

Answer 3

hypothesis that describes evolution as a slow ongoing process by which one species changes to a new species

Question 4

natural selection

Answer 4

theory that states that organisms with traits best suited to their environments are more likely to survive and reproduce

Question 5

punctuated equilibrium

Answer 5

hypothesis that says rapid evolution caomes about when the mutaion of a few genes results in the appearance of a new species over a relatively short period of time

Question 6

species

Answer 6

group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can reproduce among themselves to produce fertile offspring

Question 7

variation

Answer 7

inherited trait that makes an individual different from other members of its species

Question 8

embryology

Answer 8

the study of embryos and their development

Question 9

homologous

Answer 9

body parts that are similar in origin and structure

Question 10

radioactive element

Answer 10

an element that gives off a steady amount of radiation as it slowly changes to a nonradioactive element

Question 11

sedimentary rock

Answer 11

rock in which most fossils are found, formed when layers of sand, silt, clay, or mud are pressed and cemented together, or when minerals are deposited from a solution

Question 12

vestigial structures

Answer 12

structures that do not seem to have a function

Question 13

hominids

Answer 13

humanlike primates that lived abour 4 million to 6 million years ago and were different from the other primates

Question 14

Homo sapiens

Answer 14

direct ancestors of humans

Question 15

primate

Answer 15

group of mammals to which humans, monkeys, and apes belong