Evolution Vocab

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Descent with modification

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The principle that species change over time, giving rise to new species while adapting to their environments.

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Charles Darwin

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The father of evolution and natural selection, known for his observations of finches on the Galapagos Islands.

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Sexual selection

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A type of natural selection where certain traits enhance mating success, leading to those traits being passed on to offspring.

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Vestigial structure

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Remnants of an organ or structure that functioned in an earlier ancestor, indicating evolutionary change.

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Species

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A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.

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Natural selection

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

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Fitness

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The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment.

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Artificial selection

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The intentional breeding of organisms by humans for specific traits.

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Homologous structures

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Anatomical features in different species that share a common ancestry, even if they have different functions.

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Analogous structures

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Body parts in different species that have similar functions but do not share a common ancestry.