chapter 7 Flashcards
a distinguishing characteristics of an organism.
trait
the passing of traits from generation to generation.
inheritance
a selection of DNA on a chromosome that has genetic information for one trait.
gene
an organism’s complete set of genes.
genotype
how a trait appears or is expressed.
phenotype
a permanent change in the sequence of DNA, or the nucleotides, in a gene or a chromosome.
mutation
a slight difference in an inherited trait among individual members of a speices.
variation
an inherited trait that increases an organism’s chance of surviving and reproducing in a particular enviroment.
adaptation
the process by which organisms with variations that help them survive in their enviroment live longer, complete better, and reproduce more than those that do not have the variation.
natural selection
the selection and breeding of organisms for desired traits.
selective breeding
an adaptation that enables a species to blend in with it’s enviroment.
camouflage
an adaptation in which one species looks like another species.
mimicry
