Natural selection Flashcards
adaptation
a characteristic that improves an individuals ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment
species
a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring
evolution
the process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over sometimes arise
fossil
the remains or physical evidence of an organism preserved by geological processes
fossil record
a historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of the earth crust
traits
a genetically determined characteristic
selective breeding
the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired characteristics
natural selection
the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do
generation time
the period between the birth of the generation and the birth of the next generation
speciation
the formation of new species as a result of evolution
relative dating
any method of determining whether an event or object is older of younger than other events or objects
absolute dating
any method of measuring the age of an object or every in years
geologic time scale
the standard method used to divide the earths long natural history into manageable parts
extinct
describes a species that has died out completely
plate tectonics
the theory that explains how large pieces of the earths outermost layer,called tectonic plates,move and change shape.
primate
a type of mammal characterized by opposable thumbs and binocular vision
hominid
a type of primate characterized by bipedalism relatively long lower limbs,and lack of a tail
Homo spaien
the species of hominids that includes modern humans and their closest ancestors and that first appeared about 100,00 to 160,000 years ago
