Natural Selection Vocabulary

a well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can incorporate laws, hypotheses and facts.

• law

• theory

• characteristics

• diversity

a distinguishing quality, trait, or feature of an individual, thing, disorder, etc

• evolution

• characteristic

• variation

• species

the surrounding conditions and elements with which a living thing interacts with

• natural area

• learned skills

• environmental conditions

• physical traits

the degree of variation of living things present in a particular ecosystem.

• Diversity

• Differences

• traits

• species

a group of organisms that can reproduce with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring

• variations

• species

• animals

• breed

a group of individuals of the same species within a community

• team

• family

• genes

• population

any difference between the individuals in a species or groups of organisms of any species

• breed

• differences

• variation

• traits

any heritable trait that helps an organism, such as a plant or animal, survive and reproduce in its environment.

• adaptation

• changes

• variation

• diversity

the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change

• adaptation

• variations

• artificial selection

• natural selection

the identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals, and the steps taken to enhance and perpetuate those traits in future generations

• adaptation

• artificial selection

• natural selection

• variation