Evolution

Question 1

a scientist who studies fossils

Answer 1

paleontologists

Question 2

method used to determine age of rocks by comparing them to other layers

Answer 2

relative dating

Question 3

younger layers of rocks are deposited on top of older layers

Answer 3

law of superposition

Question 4

using decay of radioactive isotopes to measure age of rocks

Answer 4

radiometric dating

Question 5

amount of time it takes for half the original isotope to decay

Answer 5

half-life

Question 6

smallest unit of geologic time lasting several million year

Answer 6

epoch

Question 7

divisions of time lasting 10’s of millions of years

Answer 7

period

Question 8

directed breeding to produce offspring with desired traits

Answer 8

artificial selection

Question 9

cumulative changes in groups of organisms through time

Answer 9

evolution

Question 10

life arises from non-life

Answer 10

spontaneous generation

Question 11

anatomically similar structures inherited from a common ancestor

Answer 11

homologous strucutre

Question 12

structures that are the reduced forms of functional structures in other organisms

Answer 12

analogous structure

Question 13

measure of the relative contribution an individual trait makes to the next generation

Answer 13

Fitness

Question 14

trait shaped by natural selection to help the reproductive success

Answer 14

adaptation

Question 15

a characteristic passes on from a persons parent

Answer 15

trait

Question 16

a branching diagram that represents the proposed phylogeny or evolutionary history of a species

Answer 16

cladogram