Ch. 14 & 15

Question 1

preserved evidence of an organism, often found in sedimentary rock that provides evidence of past life

Answer 1

fossil

Question 2

scientist who studies fossils

Answer 2

paleontologist

Question 3

method used to determine the age of rocks by comparing the rocks with younger and older rocks

Answer 3

relative dating

Question 4

states that the oldest layers of rock are found at the bottom and youngest are found on top of the foundation if they have not been disturbed

Answer 4

law of superposition

Question 5

method used to determine the age of rocks using the rate of decay of radioactive isotopes

Answer 5

radiometric dating

Question 6

amount of time required for half of a radioactive isotope to decay

Answer 6

half-life

Question 7

model showing major geological and biological events in earth’s history

Answer 7

geologic time scale

Question 8

idea that life arises from non-living things

Answer 8

spontaneous generation

Question 9

states that only living organisms can produce other living organisms

Answer 9

theory of biogenesis

Question 10

Those better equipped for life will survive; those worse equipped for life will not

Answer 10

natural selection

Question 11

hereditary changes in groups of living organisms over timed

Answer 11

evolution

Question 12

anatomically similar structure inherited from a common ancestor

Answer 12

homologous structure

Question 13

reduced form of a function structure that indicates shared ancestry

Answer 13

vestigial structure

Question 14

structure that has the same function, but different construction and was not inherited by a common ancestor

Answer 14

analogous structure

Question 15

measure of a traits relative contribution to the following generation

Answer 15

fitness

Question 16

morphological adaptations that allow organisms to blend into their surroundings

Answer 16

camouflage

Question 17

morphological adaptation in which one species evolves to resemble another species for protection or other advantages

Answer 17

mimicry

Question 18

occurs when a species evolves into a new species in an area without a geographic barrier

Answer 18

sympatric speciation

Question 19

random change in allelic frequencies in a population

Answer 19

genetic drift

Question 20

the diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches

Answer 20

adaptive radiation