Principles of Evolution Vocab

inherited trait that is selected for over time because it allows organisms to better survive in their environment

• adaptation

• variation

• gradualism

• catastophism

body part that is similar in function as a body part of another organism but is structurally different

• fossil

• fitness

• vestigial structure

• analogous structure

process by which humans modify a species by breeding it for certain traits

• artificial selection

• natural selection

• fitness

• gradiualism

study of the distribution of organisms around the world

• biogeography

• paleontology

• heritability

• population

Theory that stated that natural disasters such as floods & volcanic eruptions shaped Earth's land forms & caused extinction of some species

• gradualism

• catastophism

• adaptation

• variation

change in a species over time; process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors

• evolution

• variation

• adaptation

• gradualism

measure of an organism's ability to survive & produce offspring relative to other members of a population

• fitness

• gradualism

• evolution

• adaptation

trace of an organism from the past

• species

• evolution

• fossil

• gradualism

principle that states that the changes in landforms result from changes over a long period of time

• catastrophism

• gradualism

• eventualism

• adaptation

ability of a trait to be passed from one generation to the next

• adaptation

• heritability

• fitness

• artificial selection