Natural Selection Vocab

the process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations

• adaptation

• evolution

• mutation

• natural selection

structures, functions, or behaviors that improve a species' ability to survive and reproduce in an environment

• adaptations

• evolution

• mutation

• natural selection

trace remains of an organism that lived long ago

• FNA

• fossil CD

• fossil record

• fossil

a trait that makes an organism different from other members of the same species

• unique

• mutation

• variation

• evolution

differences in the traits or adaptations of the members of a population due to differences in the genetic codes

• variation

• diversity

• adaptation

• evolution

a group of organisms that are so closely related genetically that they can mate to produce more of the same kind of organism

• species

• population

• group

• community

fossil records, radiometric dating, genetic information, the distribution of organisms around the world, and physical similarities shared by different species

• fossil record

• fossils

• evidence for evolution

• organisms

no members of a species are alive today

• alive and well

• extinct

• endangered

• diminishing

the timeline of life formed by studying fossils

• timeline

• animation

• yearbook picture

• fossil record

the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well-adapted individuals do

• evolution

• adaptation

• natural selection

• variation