Evolutionary History Ch 1 and 2

Front

What is a fossil?

Back

Evidence of life from the past, such as fossilized bones, footprints, or leaf prints.

Front

How would you describe the animals in a stable environment like the Sahara Desert?

Back

Their body structures will continue to stay similar.

Front

What does a paleontologist study?

Back

A scientist who studies fossils in order to understand the ancient history of life on Earth.

Front

What is an ancestor?

Back

A related organism from a previous generation.

Front

What defines a species?

Back

A group of organisms of the same kind (in one or more populations) that do not reproduce with organisms from any other group.

Front

What is evolution?

Back

The process by which species adapt to environmental changes over a very long time.

Front

What is natural selection?

Back

The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Front

What is adaptation?

Back

A change in an organism that makes it better suited to its environment.

Front

What is extinction?

Back

The state of a species when no individuals are left alive anywhere on Earth.

Front

What is a population in biological terms?

Back

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.