Evolutionary History Vocabulary Flashcard

Front

common ancestor population

Back

an older population from which two or more newer species descended

Front

inherit

Back

to receive genes from a parent

Front

generation

Back

a group of individuals born and living at about the same time

Front

body structure

Back

a part of an organism (for example, one or more bones)

Front

ancestor

Back

a related organism from a previous generation

Front

evolution

Back

the process by which different kinds of living organisms develop and diversify from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

Front

natural selection

Back

the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Front

mutation

Back

a random change to a gene that sometimes results in a new trait.

Front

species

Back

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.

Front

adaptation

Back

a trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.