Ch. 7&8 Vocab

Question 1

What is a species?

Answer 1

A group of organisms that are closely related and ca mate to produce fertile offspring.

Question 2

What is an evolution?

Answer 2

The process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations such that new species sometimes arise.

Question 3

What are fossils?

Answer 3

The trace or remains an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock.

Question 4

What is a fossil record?

Answer 4

A historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of the earths crust.

Question 5

What is a trait?

Answer 5

A genetically determined characteristic.

Question 6

What is selective breeding?

Answer 6

The human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired traits.

Question 7

What is natural selection?

Answer 7

The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanism of evolution.

Question 8

What is speciation?

Answer 8

The formation of new species as a result of evolution.

Question 9

What is relative dating?

Answer 9

Any method of determining whether an event or object is older or younger than other object and events.

Question 10

What is absolute dating?

Answer 10

Any method of measuring the age of an object or event in years.

Question 11

What is a geologic time scale?

Answer 11

The standard method used to divide Earth’s long natural history into manageable parts.

Question 12

What is extinct?

Answer 12

Describes a species that has died out completely.

Question 13

What are plate tectonics?

Answer 13

The theory that explains how large pieces of the earths outermost layer, called tectonic plates, move and change shape.

Question 14

What is Precambrian Time?

Answer 14

The period in the geologic time scale from the formation of the Earth to the beginning of the Paleozoic Era, from about 4.6 billion to 542 million years ago.

Question 15

What is Adaptation?

Answer 15

A characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Question 16

What is the Paleozoic era?

Answer 16

It began 542 million years ago and ended 251 million years ago. It was relatively recent. Plants, fungi, and air-breathing animals slowly colonized land. By the end of this era forests of giant ferns and all major plant groups except for flowering plants appeared in this era. Crawling insect were the first on land and were followed by large salamander like animals. Near the end of this era reptiles and winged insects appeared. Large mass extinction took place at the end of this era.