Chapter 10 Test Flashcards
Group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring
Species
Change in a species over time; process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors
Evolution
Trace of an organism from the past
Fossil
Theory that states that natural disasters such as floods and volcanic eruptions shaped the Earth’s landforms and caused extinction of some species
Catastrophism
Principle that states that the change in landforms result from slow changes over a long period of time
Gradualism
Theory that states that the geologic processes that shape the Earth are uniform through time
Uniformitarianism
Differences in physical traits of an individual from the group to which it belongs
Variation
Inherited trait that is selected for over time because it allows organisms to better survive in their environment
Adaptation
Process by which humans modify a species by breeding it for certain traits
Artificial selection
Ability of a trait to be passed from one generation to the next
Heritability
Mechanism by which individuals that have inherited beneficial adaptations produce more offspring on average than do other individuals
Natural selection
All of a species that live in the same area
Population
Measure of an organisms ability to survive and produce offspring relative to other members of a population
Fitness
Study of the distribution of organisms around the world
Biogeography
Body part that is similar in structure on different organisms but performs different functions
Homologous structure
