Evolution and Adaptations

Front

What are vestigial structures?

Back

Structures that seem to have no function in the modern organism, but are believed to have been functional in an ancestor.

Front

Who is Alfred Russel Wallace?

Back

A naturalist who, like Darwin, developed a theory of evolution through natural selection.

Front

What does the term 'homologous structures' refer to?

Back

Structures in different species that are similar due to shared ancestry.

Front

What is an adaptation?

Back

A characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.

Front

What is seed dispersal?

Back

The process by which seeds are spread away from the parent plant to grow in new locations.

Front

What is the significance of fossils in different rock layers?

Back

They help scientists determine the relative ages of the fossils and the history of life on Earth.

Front

What is natural selection?

Back

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

Front

What are analogous structures?

Back

Structures in different species that serve similar functions but do not share a common ancestry.

Front

What is the role of adaptations in evolution?

Back

Adaptations increase an organism's chances of survival and reproduction, influencing the evolution of species.

Front

What is the difference between homologous and analogous structures?

Back

Homologous structures share a common ancestry, while analogous structures do not but serve similar functions.