Biology Unit 9 Vocabulary

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evolution

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change in organisms over time

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biogeography

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geographical distribution of species

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homologous structure

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same structure in different species due to a common ancestor; each structure has a different function

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analogous structure

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different structures, similar function; no common ancestor

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fossils

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preserved parts or traces of animals and plants that lived in the past

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fossil record

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the fossils and their locations in the sedimentary layers of Earth's crust, which provide information about things that lived in the distant past; oldest at the bottom, youngest at the top

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natural selection

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survival & reproductive success due to the inheritance of favorable traits/adaptations

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gradualism

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species evolved gradually over time

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punctuated equilibrium

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slow periods of change interrupted by rapid fast periods of change

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stasis

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a long period of time in which little or no change occurs within a species