EVOLUTION Flashcards
Mutation
When a gene of DNA is changed or damaged.
Ex sickle cell anemia
Adaptation
Learning to survive in your enviroment
Ex Galapagos finches adapted to the available food source.
Species
The world wide population of something
Ex squirrels live all over the world
Evolution
Change over time
Ex natural selection
Extinct
The end of a species
Ex mammoth, saber tooth tiger
Fossil
Remains of a life from an earlier time.
Ex dinosaurs
Homologous structures
Body parts that are similar in origin and structure(don’t need to be used for same purpose)
Ex human hand, whale flipper
Vestigial structures
Body parts no longer in use in a reduced form.
Ex human appendix and tail bone
Natural selection
Individuals with traits best adapted to a specific environment survive and pass on traits to their offspring.
Ex artic hare with a thicker coat of fur will pass on those genes to its offspring
Variation
Differences in an inherited trait of individuals in a population (positive effect of sexual reproduction=increased variation)
Ex if both your parents have black hair there is a chance you will have another color of hair.
Population
A group of organisms of the same species that live together in a certain area. They mate with each other.
Ex squirrels in Sidney ny
