Evolution Assignment

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What are homologous structures?

Back

Structures in different species that share a common ancestry, but may serve different functions, such as the human arm and whale fin.

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What are analogous structures?

Back

Structures in different species that serve similar functions but do not share a common ancestry, such as the wings of birds and insects.

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What are vestigial structures?

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Body parts that have lost their original function through evolution, like the human appendix.

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What is biogeography?

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The study of how and why plants and animals live where they do, considering factors like climate and geography.

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What is a common ancestor?

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An ancestral species from which two or more species have evolved, such as the dog-like creature from which whales and dolphins descended.

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What is adaptive radiation?

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The process by which a single ancestral species rapidly diversifies into a wide variety of forms to adapt to different environments.

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What is 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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What is evolution?

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The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

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What is a fossil?

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The preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past, providing evidence for evolution.

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What is speciation?

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The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.